Senpai to Kouhai
by Sweety8587
Summary: Inoue Orihime wants to study in the same university as Sora. However, her bad marks in Japanese History may ruin her shot at the scholarship for S-University. So Sora asks Ichigo, his kouhai from the kyudo club, to be Orihime's home tutor. AU.
1. Hajimeimashite

**Well isn't this long overdue! **

**Disclaimer: I own Bleach. Say what? April Fools is still over a month away? Ah…forget I said that then. Also do not own the awesome scene from Seitokai no Ichizon.  
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**Note: This story is pure AU. No Shinigami, no Aizen, no Soul Society etc etc. So expect a slight level of OOC-ness but I will try my best to keep it to the minimal.**

**So much thanks to Thail *muwah* BEST Beta-Reader and part time personal cheerleader EVER.  
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**Sempai to Kouhai**

**~C h a p t e r 01~**

"Not even 40?"

Inoue Orihime stared at the red 32 on the top of her returned Japanese History test before turning her morose expression towards her best friend.

"What should I do Tatsuki-chan? I promised onii-chan that I would improve in Japanese History. But this is my lowest score yet."

The dark haired girl patted the depressed girl on her head as she spoke, "Its alright Orihime. Why not sign up with a cram school?"

"But the good one's are really far away from where we live."

"Good point. How about a private tutor then?"

"I can't ask onii-chan to hire me a private tutor! Aren't they terribly expensive?"

Tatsuki frowned and crossed her arms as her list of suggestions rapidly got shortened. "Well then I can try to help you out whenever I can. Or we can ask someone from class to tutor you." She smiled slyly at the auburn haired girl who was folding her test and putting it away into her bag. "Maybe someone like Ishida from your handicrafts club."

The auburn haired girl turned to her best friend with a slightly puzzled look on her face, "Ishida-kun? I doubt he has enough time to help me out with my studies. His father is really quite strict."

Tatsuki stared for a moment bewildered at her best friend. _'Wait. She doesn't know that Ishida is aiming for her? . . . . oh well. I don't think the two match up well anyways….'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

The familiar sights and sound of the kyudo club hit Sora with a sense of nostalgia that nearly had him physically reeling backwards from the doorway. It seemed nearly a lifetime ago that he was the kaichou and preparing his team for the National Kyudo Competition. Many of the old members had come up to him and greeted him, but no one dared to raise their voices too high in fear of their orange haired, (supposedly ex-delinquent) fuku kaichou.

Sora couldn't help the small smile that came to his lips as he watched the bright haired man slowly move from the _hikiwake_ to _kai_. He held the position for a few strained moments before releasing. A smug smile came to his lips as the arrow hit the _mato_ a few scant centimeters away from the center.

"You've gotten better."

Ichigo's smile remained smug, "Its all talent."

Sora snorted with laughter, "But of course it is."

"I don't trust the tone in which you said that Sora-san."

Sora shook his head slightly bemused as Ichigo slid his bow back into its dark colored _yumibukuro_. Ichigo turned back to the tall dark haired man, "So what can I help you with Sora-san?"

"Well it's about my little sister…."

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime looked up from her notebook at the soft knock on her door.

"Its open onii-chan."

Sora stood in the doorway, holding on to the doorknob as he spoke, "How are you studies going along?"

She smiled weakly, "Same as always onii-chan."

"History dates are an evil created by the alien race because they want to take over the world by melting student's brain?"

His little sister's firm nod had him chuckling into his fist. No one other than Orihime could come up with such creative reasons to dislike something. He walked over to her and patted her on the head, "Well unfortunately you'll have to deal with history if you want to go to the same university I went too."

Her slim shoulders visibly slumped as she mumbled, "But I just can't seem to get any better at this. Even though Tatsuki-chan's been helping me, I still can't remember a lot of these dates. If I don't manage to raise my scores, then I won't be able to apply for a scholarship to S University."

Sora placed both his hands on her shoulders, "Well then I have good news for you."

Her curious mercury gaze met his as he continued, "I managed to find someone who is willing to tutor you in Japanese History _and _English. He's a kouhai of mine from the kyudo club. He's in his third year studying Journalism."

"B-b-but isn't it expensive to…"

"Don't worry about that part Orihime. Now,"

He grabbed her by the hand and made her stand up. "Why don't you meet him."

"EH? Right now!?"

"He's waiting outside."

Before she could speak or even think of a response, her older brother was dragging her out of her bedroom and into the main room. While she was extremely distressed that someone (a boy!) would be seeing her in such an untidy state, a part of her was very curious about her new tutor. Her older brother rarely spoke of his university days much less about his club and his kouhai.

She peeked behind her older brother and was surprised to see that the person standing in front of the bookshelf had an unruly mop of bright orange hair. '_I remember this person! He came to visit us when otou-san and oka-san passed away. But…what was his name…'_

"Kurosaki."

The 21 year old turned towards the siblings, his glance shifting from the older brother to his younger sister who he pushed in front of himself.

"This is my sister Orihime."

'_She really grew up.'_ Ichigo couldn't help but think as his gaze landed on her chest before he mentally kicked himself in the head. He would not think of his senpai's imouto in that manner! No matter how impressive her…assets were, she was still 18!

Orihime bowed deeply, her hair falling over her shoulder, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, sensei."

He nodded, "Ah. Yoroshiku."

Sora clapped his hands, "Well then I'll leave you two to get started. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen."

Silence hung between the two occupants of the room, both of them shifting awkwardly from one foot to another. Ichigo cleared his throat, making Orihime's gaze shift to meet his scowling gaze.

"You want to study here or in your room?"

"Oh! In my room I suppose. I have all my study material there."

Ichigo followed the petite girl to her room and wondered briefly if she didn't feel any qualms about letting a strange man enter her bedroom. If it were his own little sisters, he'd have made sure that they study in the living room rather than their own bedrooms with some strange man. Okay so he wasn't exactly a strange man or a stranger to Inoue Sora but still….

Before he could control himself, he asked, "Is it alright for me to be here?"

Bright mercury eyes turned to look into his, "Hai?"

He nodded towards the door of her bedroom, "Are you alright letting a stranger enter your bedroom?"

A bright smile, "You're not really a stranger. Onii-chan said that you're his kouhai from the kyudo club."

"Doesn't change the fact that you still don't really know me."

Her answer was simple and to the point, "But onii-chan trusts you. So, I trust you as well."

He shook his head slightly, "You're really too trusting."

She tilted her head to the side, a finger lifted up to her chin, "You think so? My best friend says the same thing too. Hai, dozo."

Ichigo muttered his thanks as she opened the door. Ichigo entered into the room, fully expecting to see an explosion of either pink, ruffles and frills or stuffed animals or some combination of the three. He was relieved to see that there was a scarcity of the color pink and ruffles and there were only a few stuffed animals placed upon a bookshelf. He sank into the chair that Orihime offered him, his eyes taking in her room with vague interest.

He waited for her to plop into her own chair before he asked, "Before we get started I'd like to get an idea about how much you know. That way I can know where to start from and how much work needs to be done. You intend to go to my university right?"

Ichigo wondered for a moment if it was possible for a head to fall off someone's shoulders by too much enthusiastic nodding.

"Alright. Do you have any of your old tests with you?"

Orihime turned slightly pink before she turned towards her school bag. With an embarrassed expression on her face she handed over her quiz to Ichigo. She waited for the scolding or worse, teasing to start at her weak grasp on the subject. She kept her eyes locked on her lap, her fists clenched tightly.

"…Lemme ask you a few questions. Some basic stuff about history."

Her gaze still locked on her hands she nodded.

"What took place in Japan in 794 (nana hyaku kujuu youn-nen)?"

"errr…nakuyo (Cries)…"

'_Looks like she knows this one.'_ Ichigo watched as she placed one finger on her forehead and frowned as she tried to remember the full sentence.

"Cries the Reyrin for utopia?"

Ichigo suddenly felt the urge to face plant as hard as he could on the floor of this girl's bedroom. How do you go from "Cries the Japanese bush warbler" to that?! Instead he face palmed and muttered, "History just changed right there. What about the year 710 (nana hyaku juu-nen)?"

"eemmm….nan…nanto…(Wh…what…)"

'_If she doesn't get this right I really am gonna fall flat on my face.'_

"What an … unexpected..trick?"

Ichigo stared at her half hopeful expression and felt her tests slip through his suddenly nerveless fingers. Ichigo didn't know where he found the strength to answer back but he managed to choke out, "It's 'What a magnificent Heiijyoukyou'. If it was the one you said, I can't help but wonder what the hell happened that year."

Orihime now seemed on the verge of tears as she stared at her fallen tests. Ichigo eyed her as she bent down to pick up the paper sheets before sticking them into a seemingly random pile of paper. She stayed that way – staring at her desk as though that would keep her tears at bay.

Ichigo sighed, running his hand over his face before scratching the back of his neck.

"Do you really want to get into S University?"

Her gaze was fierce and determined even with the tears present in her eyes. "Hai."

Ichigo stared at her, wondering silently if her resolve would hold. _'Well time will tell on that account. I'll hold up my end of the bargain though.'_

"Alright then. I'll do my best to help you out."

Her eyed widened and Ichigo felt very uncomfortable under her hopeful gaze. He couldn't help but snap, "What is it?"

She flushed slightly at his tone, "You won't say that I'm an idiot who can't even remember the basic dates of our history?"

"Ha? What kind of nonsense is that? How the hell would that help you?"

Orihime raised a hand to the back of her head as she let out a small nervous laugh, "It's what my teacher keeps saying."

Ichigo clicked his tongue, his disapproval towards the teacher showing in his tone as he spoke, "Forget what that old fart said. We all got stuff that we can't remember. You just trust me when I say that I'll get you in the 90's in two months."

"Two months?!" Her surprise at his bold statement making her voice more high pitched than she intended.

"Did I stutter? Yeah. Two months."

"b-But…how are yo…it's going to be im-"

He held up a hand to cut off her protests, "Do you trust me?"

She blinked at the sudden change in direction, "Well…yes I suppose I do."

"Then trust me when I say I'll do it."

She stared his face for a moment before nodding with resolve. "I'll do my best to fulfill your expectations Sensei! Even if I need to bleed for it."

"Err. There won't be any need to go _that_ far you know. And don't call me Sensei."

"Eh? Then what do I call you?"

"Just call me by my name."

She tilted her head to the side, "Kurosaki-sensei?"

He groaned out loud, "I just said not to call me sensei didn't I? Kurosaki-san is fine."

"Hai, Kurosaki-san! Lets do our best against those brain sucking aliens!"

". . . . the… what?"

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

**~Three weeks later~**

Orihime sat on her chair, her back straight and her body stiff as she waited for Ichigo to hand her back her test. She really wasn't sure how well she had done in the test that he had just given her. While she felt confident that she had done better than her previous school tests but she wondered if it was enough.

"Not bad for a student who was getting 40's three weeks ago. You got 67."

Ichigo was thoroughly amused as she happily clapped her hands together and bounced in her seat. She was more like a girl than a blossoming woman when she did things like that.

"Arigatou Kurosaki-san! This is all thanks to you."

He lightly smacked her on the head with the checked test, "Baka. You're still far away from our target! Besides, don't forget that this is thanks to your own hard work. Don't sell yourself short Inoue."

Grasping the paper on her head with both hands, she laughed, "Hai, Kurosaki-san!"

"But still…"

Ichigo checked the notebook in his lap, the past scores of Orihime's tests jotted down in a neat table.

"We really need to pick up the pace if we want you to be ready for the entrance exam…."

A knock on the door interrupted Ichigo as Sora stuck his head into the room.

"How's it going?"

"Ah onii-chan! Mite Mite!"

She bounced over to her older brother to show her the test. The older man was carrying a tray in his hands and leaned over to look at the paper before congratulating his little sister. Ichigo watched the siblings interact without really listening to their conversation. _'What would be a good way to motivate this girl…There has to be some way to get her to give her all…'_

" . . . . reward for this. You've never gotten this high marks before. So what'll it be?"

"Flan caramel from that store near your office!"

"Eh? Just that?"

"I love that flan caramel! It tastes so yummy with red bean paste."

Ichigo blinked as that statement penetrated his brain. _'Red bean paste with flan caramel as a reward? What kind of taste buds does this girl have? Wait a minute….'_

Ichigo raised a hand to his chin as he contemplated the idea, other arm crossed across his chest. _'There really was nothing to lose. It's a win-win situation and it's gonna bring her closer to her goal as well.'_ He looked up and started backwards in surprise at seeing Orihime's face mere inches away from him.

She in turn tilted her head slightly to the side as she asked concernedly, "Are you alright Kurosaki-san? I kept calling your name but you wouldn't reply back."

"I was just thinking about something…what were you saying?"

She held up the plate she was holding in both hands, "Would you like some red bean cookies with your tea?"

"Ah, thanks."

He picked up one cookie and took a bite out of it. He wondered what were the dark colored additions to the cookies. _'Raisins maybe?' _As he chewed on the cookie, he realized that a) raisins didn't make a slight cracking sound when being chewed on, b) raisins when chewed upon did not taste peppery, and lastly, c) he had mistaken whole black pepper cloves for raisins.

The black pepper was making his taste buds cry out in agony and he quickly grabbed the tea cup in front of him. He took a few quick, deep gulps of the tea before slamming the cup back down on the table. While the hot tea scalded away the burning taste of the black pepper but downing hot tea like that made his chest feel as though he had swallowed a glass full of fire.

"Kurosaki-san?!"

One hand was on his chest as he wished this burning feeling would quickly subside as he waved the other hand at her. He opened one bleary eye to stare at her concerned face. She was staring worriedly at him, leaning over him slightly.

"Were those…black pepper cloves in those cookies?"

She gave him a wide smile, "They give the cookies an extra kick ne?"

'_A kick straight in the bal…_'

"You didn't like them?"

"Not at all."

Ichigo wanted to bite his tongue off as the words rolled off his tongue before he could help himself. Her shoulders slumped and her expression dropped as she mumbled a small, "Oh…"

An awkward and depressive silence hung in the air as she picked up another cookie and nibbled at it, her dejected gaze resting on the platter of cookies. Ichigo ruffled his hair and spoke, "When do you have your next test for History?"

"Next Thursday I think."

"Alright. I'll make you a deal then."

She looked up at him, a small spark of interest glowing in her grey eyes.

"If you can get more than 80 marks in your next test, then I'll give you a reward."

Ichigo blinked and had to stop himself from rubbing his eyes because he could have _sworn_ that a pair of dog ears and tail had appeared on the girl as she looked at him. She was holding her hands in front of her chest, her eyes sparkling in delight as she asked, "What kind of reward?"

'_Errr…what kind of reward….'_

"Well…I'll do anything you want."

She eyed him a tad suspiciously as though she doubted his word. "Anything?"

Ichigo nodded, "Anything."

"Yosh! I'll accept your challenge Kurosaki-san!"

'_God I hope she doesn't make me eat those cookies again…'_

"By the way, what do you think about amusement parks?"

Ichigo blinked in surprise at the seemingly random question and very articulately replied back, "Huh?"

* * *

**I've had this idea for such a long while but was lacking the inspiration to actually write it out properly. But yesterday I was in a rare mood to write so I was like 'Lets get cracking on this!'. The title 'Senpai to Kouhai' means 'Senpai and Kouhai'. And this will be a multi-chapter story. While I'm not sure how I'm going to end it, but end it I shall! And man, for once I had to do some research for the stuff I was writing! **

**If anyone doesn't like that I put Ichigo into the Kyudo club, I'm sorry! *bows* But it was either that or kendo! **

**And the history dates thing, a total shout out to Seitokai no Ichizon. That part was my favorite from the whole series. Silly Pres! **

**In case you don't know, Japanese students they remember a lot of events in their history by making up sentences from the dates themselves. So if you can remember the sentence, you can tell what happened in that year. The whole thing is more funnier in Japanese and I hope I managed to get that across. I hope /me sweats profusely.**

**And this will be an M rated fic! . . . What? You expected something else from me? phft.  
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_**Japanese terms:**_

_**Kyudo – Japanese archery**_

_**Kaichou – President**_

_**Fuku Kaichou – Vice President**_

_**Hikiwake - drawing apart. The archer starts bringing down the bow while spreading his arms, simultaneously pushing the bow with the left hand and drawing the string with the right, until the arrow is level with the eyebrows.**_

_**Kai - the full draw. The archer continues the movement started in the previous phase, until full draw is achieved with the arrow placed slightly below the cheekbone.**_

_**Mato – the target for the kyudo practitioners**_

_**Yumibukura – A cloth bag usually made from silk in which you put the yumi (bow) in to protect it from scratches.**_

_**794 (nana hyaku kujuu youn-nen). The phrase to remember what happened starts "Nakuyo" (cries) and is supposed to be "cries the Japanese bush warbler" but…**_

**Reviewers will get red bean cookies! Without any black pepper in em of course.**_**  
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	2. Rewards and Ferris Wheels

**Many thanks for all the reviews minna! **

**I had a three hour session with Thail and I'm so happy to say that I've got like 90% of the story totally planned out. And then I wanted to facepalm when I thought that I had originally wanted to keep this just 4 parts. So rejoice! This is gonna be a long one! :D**

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Bleach. Tch. *kicks a random pebble and hits a lawyer* ACK! *runs away!***

**Love to Thail as always! :D**

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**~ C h a p t e r 02 ~**

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Ichigo stood in front of the entrance. He never expected this to happen. Okay sure he had been fairly certain that she would be able to get over 80 percent marks in her quiz but he had expected a disaster that would gastronomical in nature rather than this. He hadn't set foot in a place like this since his mom passed away and even that was over 15 years ago!

"Hurry up Kurosaki-san!"

He eyed the overly enthusiastic auburn haired girl as she waved to him from the entrance. _'Note to self, next time I promise a reward to a student, never include myself in the deal. Always promise food or video games or something like that.'_

"Hai hai."

He adjusted the strap of his knapsack before increasing his pace. He came to stand beside the auburn haired girl, "I really don't get why you picked this place."

She looked up at him, a bright smile across her face as she cheerfully declared "Because it's fun! I've been wanting to come here for a while now."

Frowning slightly Ichigo replied, "But why not come with your friends?"

Her smile became smaller than before but retained its warmth as she replied, "We tried to but somehow we all couldn't find a date when we could all get together. But I'm sure I'll have just as much with Kurosaki-san!"

He gave her a dry look, "I don't know what kind of image you have of me, but I'm not exactly in the front of the line when it comes to having a good time."

"Eeeeh really? I thought Kurosaki-san would be the one arranging all the big parties on campus!"

"What part of the way I behave made you think that crap?"

"But you're so much fun Kurosaki-san!"

Wishing and praying that he wasn't blushing too hard he pushed the girl lightly in front of him, he gruffly retorted, "As much fun as watching clouds pass by."

She tilted her head back, her tone colored with slight awe, "I love watching the clouds pass by! It's so much fun imagining what the clouds looks like! So I was right that you were fun."

Ichigo wondered if he would ever be able to win against her in a debate using normal logic and reasoning. With a small sigh he thought to himself, _'Probably not actually.'_

"Welcome to Chappy's Fun Amusement Park! How many tickets?"

Ichigo leaned in from behind Orihime, "Two adults."

"That would be ¥6,500."

Ichigo slipped on the plastic bracelet on his hand before glancing down at his student. Her eyes were darting around the park, trying to take in as much of the place as she could. He slipped both hands into his jeans as he asked, "So, where do you want to start from?"

"Eto….that ride!"

Ichigo followed her finger and raised his eyebrows in surprise, "The merry-go round?"

A firm nod was his response, "We should slowly build up the excitement level! It's the best way to enjoy all the rides."

Without waiting for a reply she skipped away to join the line of kids and parents in front of the carousel. Shaking his head Ichigo joined her. He very firmly put his foot down when she attempted to convince him to sit atop a glittering purple unicorn. She had said that he would look very knightly on top of it.

'_Bullshit.'_ He thought to himself with an indelicate snort as he watched the carousel start up. What man could look like a knight sitting on top of a purple unicorn that glittered in the sunlight?

"Kurosaki-san!"

He waved back lazily at the auburn haired girl as she enthusiastically waved at him. No really, _what_ was exciting about sitting on a plastic horse going round and round in slow motion to some tinkly music? He hadn't gotten that when he was a kid too.

Orihime came off the ride all smiles and laughter as she stood next to Ichigo. He smiled slightly at her as she bounded over to the line for the next attraction and wondered how long her energy level would last.

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo dropped his tired body into the nearest empty bench and tried to get some feeling back in stomach. After having gone through the roller coaster ride three times in a row, he felt like there was a hole in the place of his stomach. Thank God that he hadn't had eaten too much for lunch and that they had left the rollercoaster as one of the last rides to take, or else his lunch would have been introduced to his shoes.

Whilst he felt like a cotton shirt that got put through the dryer a few dozen times, Orihime was still full of as much energy as when they had started out. She was wetting her handkerchief with water from the nearby fountain before bringing it back to Ichigo. She gently placed the cool, wet cloth on his forehead and received a weak 'Thanks' in reply.

She looked up at the darkening sky with a degree of sadness. It had been such a fun day all in all. She really wished that it didn't have to end so soon. Ichigo removed the cloth from his eyes to glance curiously at the surprisingly quiet girl. She had been chattering away almost non-stop all day, so why the sudden quiet. She was standing in front of him, holding the giraffe stuffed toy he had won from the UFO catcher and staring up at the sky with a contemplative look on her round face.

Ichigo wrung the handkerchief as dry as he could manage before handing it back to the girl.

"We've got time for one more ride. Which one you wanna go on?"

A slightly dreamy smile came to her lips as she gave her prompt response, "The ferris wheel!"

Slapping his hands on his thighs, he stood up, "Alright then. Let's get going."

In a not-short and not-yet long time, the two of them were sitting alone in a cabin on the ride.

Orihime was sitting with her knees on the seat, her hands pressed against the glass and staring out into the night scene. Ichigo enjoyed seeing the look of childish delight and wonder that had stuck to her face throughout the day. Now it was more prominent than ever as her eyes took in the sweeping view.

"Waaa~! The view is so pretty from so high up!"

She quickly slipped off her seat and moved to his side. Her hands pressing against the glass again as she took in the view from the other side. Shifting to the side to give her more room to move, he replied, "The view really isn't that different from this side Inoue."

"But it is Kurosaki-san! This side gives such a beautiful view of the whole theme park but the other side gives you a view of th-UWA!"

Before either of them could completely understand what had happened, Orihime fell smack into Ichigo's lap. Two pairs of surprised eyes looked into each other before they took stock of where they were sitting (or who was sitting on his lap) and where their hands were. Inoue all but jumped to her side of the cabin, her heart racing and her face flushing prettily as she sat down quickly.

She tightly clenched her hands together in her lap and willed herself to forget the fact that she had just felt his racing heart underneath her fingertips. The heat from his body was making her hands feel warm and pleasant as her blush deepened. _'I never knew that a man's chest could be that hard and that wide…_' Why wouldn't her heart stop from beating so frantically inside of her chest? It's not as though this was the first time she had accidentally fallen on someone. On more than one occasion the girl had fallen on a member of the opposite gender but on none of those 3 occasions had the girl felt even one-tenth of the feelings that were rushing through her right now.

Shyly she looked up at Ichigo. He was glaring out the window, his scowl very firmly in place as though he was very very mad. Except the light blush that was covering his cheeks completely spoilt that image.

'_That was awkward. And that was very, very dangerous.'_ He told himself. He reminded himself that the girl in front of him was his respected senpai's little sister and he had promised to look after her. And that included not thinking any kind of perverted thoughts her. He was definitely not supposed to be thinking that her small hands had felt nice on his chest. He most certainly should not be thinking that his lap felt cold immediately after she had jumped back to sit across from him. And he shouldn't under any circumstances be thinking that she looked very cute as she sat there blushing across from him. _'What the hell is wrong with me? Having these thoughts about a high school girl…'_

Noticing that he was being stared at, he turned his head to look at her. Her cheeks filled with fresh color as their eyes met. Both of them started to speak at the same time.

"Ano!"

"Thank you for taking this ride! If you'll please step off now."

Surprised that 15 minutes had passed by so quickly and with slightly shaky legs Orihime moved out of the small ferris wheel cabin, looking behind her to make sure that her home tutor was right behind her. He had one hand on the top of the doorway, bending slightly so he could pass through the small opening. She couldn't understand why her breath was caught in her throat as he straightened up to his full height and looked at her.

She dropped her gaze down, her hands twisting the handle of her handbag as Ichigo came to stand beside her. Ichigo looked at her with confusion and a hint of worry – was she not feeling well? Or was it simple embarrassment? _'It has to be embarrassment…'_

Gingerly, as though he was touching a delicate porcelain figurine, he placed his hand on top of her head and spoke softly, "It was an accident Inoue. No need to feel that bad about it. Alright?"

There it was again! That odd 'doki doki' feeling in her heart as Ichigo patted her head. Her throat felt as though it was stuffed with frogs so she could only nod underneath his big hand. A small part of her cried out at the loss of contact with him and a split second later, she wondered where that sentiment had come from.

"I'll take you home then."

"Hai…"

Silently the pair made their way towards the exit gates. Both of them lost in their thoughts as they passed through the crowd. Ichigo looked up to see that they were just a little ways from the exit and turned around to tell that to the girl but instead was hit with a minor panic attack when he realized that she wasn't behind him. Craning his neck in an attempt to look above the crowd, he caught a glimpse of her long auburn hair a few feet away.

Completely ready to give her a piece of his mind for nearly taking a few years off his life he trudged over to the girl. But her expression had his disposition changing from exasperation to interest. She was merely standing in the middle of the vast crowd, staring away at the line of purikura booths. He stood behind her, eyeing the booths and then looking down at her. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was standing right behind her. Her expression was halfway between longing and sadness as she watched all the people come and go.

He tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped as though she was shot, "Kurosaki-san?! Please don't scare me like that."

"What are you doing?"

She gave a guilty, half wistful glance towards the booths before she replied, "N-nothing really. Shall we go?"

He glanced at the picture taking booths and the groups of girls and couples who were disappearing and reappearing from underneath the canopy.

"You wanna take one?"

She turned around to look at him with a look that clearly showed that she torn between wanting to accept his offer and reject it at the same time. With a slightly exasperated sigh, he moved up to her and grabbed her wrist before dragging her towards the nearest booth.

"We both can tell that you want to do this. Consider this my reward for your efforts."

"Eh? Eh? B-but today already was more than enough!"

He stopped a few scant feet away from the bright blue canopy and looked at the bright eyed girl in front of him, and he couldn't resist teasing her just a little bit.

"Then you don't want one?"

"No no! I do want one!"

"Then that settles it."

Ichigo gently pushed her into the nearest empty booth and watched from outside as she excitedly tried to work out how to get her picture taken. She had the selection pen pressed against her lips as she stared down at the small screen before she turned around to face him.

"Ne Kurosaki-san, which frame should I…why are you standing outside?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her question, "You thought I was gonna take a purikura too?"

'_Is she..pouting?'_ Ichigo wondered as he watched the long haired girl.

"But it's no fun taking a picture with just yourself. Please Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo crossed his arms, "No way."

"With white ribbons and lace on top?"

Ichigo turned his gaze away from her, knowing that if he kept looking at her puppy dog expression he'd end up giving in. "No way in hell."

Ichigo waited for her to continue her pleas (like his little sisters, a certain dark haired midget and his ex-girlfriend did with him) but none came. Cautiously, expecting a sneak pleading attack, he turned his head to look at her. He expected to see pouting lips and teary eyes but instead saw an awkward smile.

"Well if that's what Kurosaki-san wants."

He eyed her, completely bewildered. He was more used to girls always using tears and other feminine wiles to get their way but this girl…why was she so flexible towards other people and their needs? She wasn't half or even a quarter selfish as some of the other girls he knew. And yet, she made him feel like a complete and utter ass faster than anyone else he knew.

Fighting back the urge to growl in irritation over his muddled emotions he pulled the canopy to the side and moved to stand behind her. Orihime jumped slightly as his arm brushed against hers and his voice muttered, "No comments alright?"

Too flustered by their close proximity, Orihime could only nod. She let out a small sound of protest as he grabbed the selection pen out of her hands and quickly completed the process. It was clear that had done this before and that thought, sent a small pang of pain through her heart. Orihime raised a hand to her chest, confused and puzzled at that feeling.

"Oye, its about to take the picture."

"Ah, hai!"

She smiled brightly at the screen and waited for the camera to take the picture. She let out a loud squeak of surprise as he placed his arm on her shoulder and dragged her closer to him. Her cheeks immediately filled with color as she stared up at him in alarm. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the distressed sound that she had let out, "We need to stand closer or else we'll be out of the frame."

"O-oh."

A sudden flash had both individuals turning towards the machine in surprise. Orihime stared at the picture on the screen and had to fight the urge to bury her red face into her hands. _'Oh Kami-sama! It looks as though we're lovers rather than a student and a teacher! Is that how red my face is? I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole!'_

Completely and blissfully unaware of the dilemma of the girl next to him, Ichigo grabbed the two sheets of pictures and stared at the picture.

"Heee. Not a bad shot. Here."

She blinked in surprise at his utter lack of reaction towards the picture. And parroted his statement, "Not a bad shot?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah. You look good in it. Let's get going then."

After making sure that the girl was walking right behind him, the pair made their way out of the park. If Ichigo had turned around and glanced at the girl, he would found himself wondering why the girl would blush every time she would sneak a peek up at him and then hide her face into the stuffed animal.

* * *

**I have no idea exactly how much amusement park tickets cost in Japan but from the few sites I checked, the ticket costs for two adults does fall anywhere between ¥4,000 and ¥6,000...I think...  
**

**Oh and I must share a bit of funny that happened right after I wrote this chapter. Thail wanted me to write Ichigo riding the carousel but I was like "I don't think I can make Hime convince Ichigo to sit on the horse at this point of the story." And like 40 minutes later, I'm checking out the spoiler's for Dengeki Daisy chapter 33 and what do I see? Kurosaki riding on the carousel with Teru taking a picture of him XD So Thail DID get what she wanted…just the wrong Kurosaki!**

**And I've got a bunch of perverts reading this story! How could you think that I'd make Hime ask Ichigo to do H things if she got over 80? What a buncha perverts! XD But I've got some bad news for y' all cause you will have to wait for the M because this is the first time I'm focusing more on the story and plot than the sex part. So please bear with me!**

**Today's reviewers will get chocolate coated strawberries! :D**


	3. Stars and Results

**I'm already getting some guesses regarding Ichigo's ex-girlfriend and whether it was Rukia but..sorry guys, Rukia's not the ex-girlfriend. Ah yes, there are two guest stars in today's chapter! Can you tell who they are and where from? **

**An extra long chapter because I didn't want to break it down into two chapters. Rejoice!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not crazy or stupid enough to say that I own Bleach! /end disclaimer**

**Love to Thail! And thanks to Amar on his advice too!  
**

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**~ C h a p t e r 03 ~**

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Orihime tapped her mechanical pencil against her head, matching the soft ticking of the nearby alarm clock. She eyed the algebra problem in front of her and wondered where had made a mistake. _'Did I change the formula at the wrong place? Or maybe I didn't use the right formula at all…ah!'_

Quickly rubbing out the last few lines, she quickly corrected her mistake and let out a satisfied "_Yosh_!" as she finally reached the correct answer. She dropped the pencil on top of her study book before raising her arms overhead in a lazy stretch. _'I should be able to finish this chapter's problems by tonight. I wonder if I can find the time to review for tomorrow's session…'_

That thought made her gaze stray to the smiling giraffe seated on her bed along with Maru-chan, Koujirou and Ludwig. (She personally thought of that the four looked very nice together, her personal version of the Three Musketeers! With Kirin-chan being the leader because she was the tallest and the only girl in the group.) She slowly opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out the _purikura_ that she had hidden underneath her best letter writing paper. She stared at the multiple Kurosaki-san's who were staring at multiple her's with a concerned expression.

If she focused on it hard enough, she could still feel his heavy hand on her shoulder as he had pulled her towards him. His hand had been so big that it had completely covered her shoulder and it had been so…bony. Her gaze was distant as she stared at his long fingers curling over her arm. _'He has such long fingers too….I wonder how much longer they are from mine…'_

She raised her hand to touch the glossy paper but hurriedly shoved it back into her desk at the sudden knocking on her door. Flustered and hoping that she wasn't blushing she called out, "Its open!"

Sora stood in the doorway, a towel draped over his shoulders as he spoke, "I left some _onigiri_ for you to eat Orihime. How much longer are you planning to study?"

"I think I should be done in another two hours onii-chan."

"Just don't over do it alright? You know you get a fever when you stay up late for too many nights in a row."

Orihime flexed her arms, imitating her favorite wrestler as she cheerfully replied, "But my body's gotten used to staying up this late for studies! Mind over matter always wins!"

"But still, no harm in being careful."

"Hai, onii-chan."

Sora smiled at her enthusiasm before he noticed that she had placed her few stuffed animals on her bed. _'Oya…a new addition?'_

Sora pointed at the giraffe and asked, "Where did you get that giraffe from Orihime?"

Somewhere faintly, he could hear alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind as a slightly pink color came to his little sister's face as she stumbled over her words. "K-kurosaki-san won th-that for me yesterday."

'_Maybe I'm being paranoid…but no harm in being sure.'_ "Ah, the date at the amusement park right? How did it go?"

"D-d-d-date?! It wasn't a date onii-chan! It was just Kurosaki-san being kind! There was nothing remotely date-like about yesterday! Nothing at all! In fact it was so far from date-like that if you started to measure it then you would need a super powered ruler that can measure up numbers into the millions! He did absolutely nothing that was vaguely date-like! "

Sora watched Orihime flail her arms as she spoke and could barely hold in the sigh that he felt like letting out. The very fact that she was denying the fact the fact it was a date meant that she was embarrassed for their outing to be called a date. While it could be that she was embarrassed by the term but her next words left a heavy feeling in his heart as he came to the conclusion that Orihime had yet to reach. _'She's falling for Kurosaki…'_ He ran a hand through his wet hair, unease filling him up.

"Indeed Kurosaki-san was very nice during the whole…outing but he never did anything that was date-like. Okay so may he did hold my chair out when he went to the food park to have lunch but that's only nice manners after all. And he was nice enough to listen to selfish requests even to the end and he didn't even say anything about that. He was being quite considerate of me and that's only normal because Kurosaki-san is a mature adult!"

Orihime stopped mid-defensive-rant when she realized that her older brother was seemingly not listening to her and was staring down at the floor. Tentatively she asked, "Is something wrong onii-chan?"

His head jerked up at her timid question and he gave her what he hoped was a normal smile, "Nothing Orihime. Oh by the way, I have something for you."

Her large grey eyes lit up with delight as he bounded out of her chair and stood in front of him.

"A present? What is it? What is it?"

He held out a small white box wrapped with a simple red ribbon for her to take. A more genuine smile came to his lips as he watched her quickly pull the ribbon off the box and take off the lid.

"Waaaa! Kawaii! Arigatou onii-chan!"

She was staring admiringly at the six petal hairpins that were resting on the soft pink paper. She delicately picked them out of their wrapping and held them up, admiring the shine on them. Quickly, she walked over to the dresser in the corner of the room and put on the hair pins. She turned around and walked back to face Sora and smiled, "Do they suit me?"

He smiled again as he raised a hand to run through her long hair, "Very much so."

Maybe it was the knowledge that his little sister was no longer so little anymore and was on the verge of becoming a woman, but it seemed to Sora that Orihime suddenly looked older than how he remembered her. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead and murmured, "Don't stay up too late alright? Oyasumi."

Orihime remained standing, her head tilted slightly in puzzlement as she watched her older brother walk out. _'Is something bothering onii-chan?'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo let out probably his tenth exasperated and irritated sigh within fifteen minutes as he first checked the small alarm clock, then the nearby wall clock and then his mobile phone. His student was officially late for the first time in seven weeks and by a full thirty minutes. He had gotten the impression that the girl thought of being late as one of the seven deadly sins so where the hell was she? Surely she hadn't gotten over confident about her abilities now that she was meeting the set targets?

As soon as the thought had come to his mind, he impatiently dismissed it. There was no way that that girl would be thinking like that. _'But still…where the hell is she? Sora-san already left for his job and I don't have her contact number either.'_

He started tapping his sock clad feet against the floor, sighing yet again as he flipping his mobile to check the time again. Now she was thirty-two minutes and fifteen seconds late…give or take a few seconds. A loud bang from outside the room had him jumping out of his seat in alarm. He quickly moved to the door, intent on giving the auburn haired girl a lecture on the merits of punctuality and contacting home in case you're late. The minute he was about to take hold of the doorknob, the door swung open and the next thing he was seeing was the ceiling.

Groaning at the feeling of being run over by an overly enthusiastic Orihime, Ichigo raised a hand to his head. He gingerly felt around his head and thankfully noted that he had no new bumps on his head. He sat up slowly, grimacing at the pain he was feeling in his ribs. He turned his bleary gaze at the girl who was lying beside him on the floor.

'_Man, this girl can really pack a punch! . . . wait . . . why isn't she getting up?'_

Slightly worried, he leaned over her. He raised his hand to her face, making an attempt to check if she was still breathing. It was at that exact moment that her eyelids fluttered slightly. Orihime was half-way between consciousness and unconsciousness as she lay on the ground. She pondered the possibility of just spending all day on the ground like this. It would be such a nice rest after the past 30 minutes really.

"Oye Inoue!"

The sound of his voice suddenly reminded her why exactly she had been rushing in the past half an hour and her eyes snapped open, her body shooting into an upright sitting position as apologies spilled out of her mouth (to the point that she didn't hear Ichigo's cry of pain as her head rammed into his).

"I'm so sorry I'm late Kurosaki-san! Tatsuki-chan wanted to celebrate the fact that my scholarship paperwork was completed today and that I got another ninety-three on my test that she insisted on taking me out but then on the way back the trains weren't running and then I tried to catch a bus but its tire burst and I thought at this rate it would be faster to run an…_are you alright Kurosaki-san?!_"

Ichigo was seeing stars. Proper five point yellow stars were dancing in front of his watering eyes as he looked into the troubled eyes of his student. _'Good GOD. This girl has such a hard head! I think she nearly cracked my skull open!' _Her frantic voice was only increasing the growing headache and he had to bite down on his tongue from letting out various colorful phrases to express the depth of his pain.

"Does it hurt a lot Kurosaki-san?! Should I get some ice? Or maybe I should call a doctor because you might have some internal brain injury? My friends tell me I've got a really hard head and if I'm not careful I just might hurt someone badly! Aaah what should I do? Maybe I should call -!"

Ichigo cut off her worried babbling by covering her mouth with his hand. _'Much better. If she worried anymore she's going to give herself a heart attack.'_ He was rubbing his free hand over his forehead, hoping that the gentle massaging motions would push the headache away. A sudden gear clicked in his head as he processed where his hand was.

His eyes darted to his side. A wide-eyed, blushing 18 year old was sitting in seiza with her hands flitting around as though she couldn't figure out what to do in this situation. Quickly he removed his hand from her lips, his fingers dragging ever so slightly against her (_'soft'_) cheeks.

He cleared his throat and turned away from the (_'very appealing'_) sight of her blushing as he gruffly spoke. "I'm fine. No need to make a case out of it alright? What about you?"

Her voice was higher pitched than usual as she replied, "Just fine!"

Giving her a stiff nod he moved to sit in his usual seat. He raised an eyebrow at the girl who was still sitting in seiza with her head bowed and cheeks red. "Are you sure you aren't hurt?"

She nodded at the floor, "Yes."

"Then why're you still sitting there?"

"Err…well…won't you punish me for being late?"

"Why were you late anyways?"

This time she managed to give her explanation in a more calm manner and with more details. Except Ichigo could have done without some details which were just flat out bizarre but he had come to except them as a part of her quirky personality. Details like the bus tires had been flattened by gremlins and that the train's had been stopped partly because there was a mischief demon's conference in town and they loved to play tricks on the city people. Ichigo wondered for perhaps the hundredth time, what kind of upbringing she was given and how many stories had she read as a kid.

He sighed and shook his head at the end. "Next time if you're late, you should call me and tell me that you'll be late. Here, give me your cell phone, I'll send you my information."

As he took out his dark blue flip, he nearly dropped it in surprise as she innocently replied, "Ah but I don't have a cell phone."

"Ha?! What eighteen year old doesn't have a cell phone in this day and age?"

"I'm just not good with technology actually."

'_Or with cooking.'_ Ichigo couldn't help but add sardonically in his head.

"The one time onii-chan brought me a cell phone, I don't know how but I made the screen go black in five days and when I'd try to turn it on after that, I'd get a small electrical shock."

His eyes popped open at that line and his mouth dropped open in shock. "How did you manage that?!"

She raised a hand to sheepishly scratch the back of her head and giggled nervously, "I'm not really sure actually…Maybe I pressed too many buttons at the same time?"

Ichigo could only stare at her in shock and wonder. Orihime nervously shifted underneath his gaze and couldn't help but mumble, "Is it really that weird?"

"Well it's not exactly normal if that answers your question…"

She pouted slightly at Ichigo, "Kurosaki-san, you're a bit of a bully."

Ichigo's both eyebrows shot up, his scowl lightening slightly at her statement, "A bully? Me?"

Orihime nodded, "You're always teasing me!"

"Name five times when I teased you."

Orihime starting ticking the incidents off her fingertips without a moment's hesitation, "Well you just did right now. You teased me when I accidentally added salt to my tea. You teased me the time when I put red bean paste on my apples and ate them. And there was the time…"

Ichigo raised a hand to cut her off with a chuckle, "Alright alright! I get the point. Sorry about that."

Orihime stared up at him with an awed expression. A tad defensively he asked, "What?"

"Kurosaki-san just laughed."

Before he could even formulate an appropriate response to that statement, she gave him a beaming smile.

"It's the first time I've heard you laugh."

Caught off-guard at her innocent comment, he could only awkwardly clear his throat and look away embarrassed. _'How can this girl say such embarrassing stuff so easily?'_

Brusquely he told her, "Alright enough of this. Get in your seat. We've got a lot of work to cover today. The last week means the most work."

"Hai!"

Ichigo kept his hand on his mouth, trying to cool his heated cheeks as she settled down on her seat. _'Jeez, this girl....'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"And make sure that you completely cover these topics. Most teachers have a tendency to give a lot of the major questions from them. Other than that, I think you're pretty much ready."

Orihime was leaning towards him on the desk, her eyes going over the listed down topics and gave a firm nod. "I understand. Is there any other advice you can give me Kurosaki-san?"

"Make sure to get a good night's sleep before every exam. You'll do better on your exams if you're well-rested."

"Hai!"

Ichigo watched her search through the pile of books on her side for a reference book. He was already feeling a small sense of loss that he wouldn't be coming to tutor her anymore after today. She had been a model pupil. _'As long you over look her weird food habits and her weird fantasies.'_ She was flipping through her book, using colored tabs to mark down the topics he had just listed down.

One hand covering his mouth, he watched her side profile as she collected her material for her exams. She frowned slightly as she turned to back to the pile of books on her side, searching for another book. Finding it amongst the big pile, she quickly opened it. Her big grey eyes moving quickly over the text before her slim fingers would quickly stick a tab on the page and flip forward through the book. He frowned as he noticed that the number of band-aid's on her fingers had increased yet again since his last visit. _'What the hell has she been doing that she's gotten that many bruises?'_

Idly the thought came to his head that he was going to miss her. That much he could admit to himself. It was the first time he had met a girl like her, in many ways. She really was one of those extinct species of girls that guys sometimes talked about. The proper good, innocent type girls. Okay so she was a bit of a klutz but that was something that could be overlooked when looking at the bigger picture.

Not liking the direction his thoughts were going in, Ichigo stood up. "Well I think that's about as much help that I can give you. The rest is now up to you."

Orihime quickly stood up as well, gloom settling in as she spoke, "I'll try my best Kurosaki-san. Are leaving already?"

Ichigo had already walked over to the door and was pulling it open. "We've already gone over the important stuff and done a full review. There really isn't much more that we can do now at the end."

"I see."

Ichigo turned back to see her crest-fallen expression, her fingers intertwined in front of her as she walked behind him. He turned around and waited for her to come within his reach. She jumped slightly when he patted her head. He leaned down to look at her straight in the eye as he spoke.

"You can do this. You've worked hard to get into this university. You don't have to doubt yourself or your abilities. In fact, if I find out that you think that you won't be able to do this, I'm gonna hit you with your dictionary."

Startled at his threat and the underlying concern in his words, Orihime felt her eyes fill with tears as gratitude swelled up in her heart. She gave him her brightest smile, "I'll do my very best!"

"Yosh. That's what I want to hear. Ah."

"Is something wrong?" Orihime asked when she saw Ichigo stop while putting on his jacket.

"I forgot that I brought something for you."

"Eh? For me?"

"Hold out your hand."

Obediently she held out her hands in front of him and watched him as he searched through his pockets. To say that she was surprised when he placed the _omamori_ in her hands was a slight understatement. She stared at the small white cloth bag in her hands before looking up at him in surprise.

He was rubbing his nose, clearly uncomfortable as he muttered, "There's a shrine close to the university that's popular with students who wanna come to our university. I thought you should have one."

Her fingers traced the delicate sakura printed on the cloth before tightly clasping the protective charm in her hands. "Actually I also have something for you Kurosaki-san! Please wait a minute!"

She immediately ran back to her room and quickly pulled a small gift bag out from her closet and rushed back to the front door. He had a shocked look on his face as she thrust the gift towards him. As soon as he took hold of the small package, she took a step back and bowed low in front of him.

"Inoue?!"

"Thank you for everything Kurosaki-san! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my dream."

"Oye, stop that shit already and stand up properly."

She looked up, slightly surprised that he had cursed in front of her. He was scowling hard at her, one hand making an impatient gesture for her to stand upright but the blush on his cheeks completely went against his harsh look.

She straightened up, her head still bowed as she repeated, "Thank you for all your help."

"It was nothing." Ichigo held up the gift slightly as he asked, "Can I open this right now?"

"EH?"

Ichigo raised a surprised eyebrow at her exclamation. "What? I can't?"

"Err well…I suppose you can…"

Wondering at her hesitation, Ichigo pulled the decorative ribbon off the bag and peered into it. He put his hand into the bag and pulled out a turquoise colored _kakebukuro_. He noticed the slightly untidy stitches at one side before looking back at her taped-up fingers. "Don't tell me that you hand made this?"

She nodded and asked timidly, "I hope you like the color. I really wasn't sure about your favorite…"

Ichigo felt unexplainably touched at her gift and quickly moved to discard her hesitation and worries away, "I'll cherish this. Its one of the best gifts I've gotten in a while. I've been needing a new _kakebukura_ too so it's a timely gift as well. Thanks Inuoe."

"You're welcome Kurosaki-san."

They stared at each other for a moment before Ichigo spoke, "I should get going. Best of luck Inoue."

She smiled back at him, "Hopefully the next time we meet, I'll be Kurosaki-san's kouhai."

He couldn't help but smile slightly at that. "I'd like that. Mata nei."

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Isn't he more cranky than usual?"

"Definitely more tense."

Ichigo could feel veins popping on his forehead as his club members whispers reached his ears. Stomping over to the chattering boys, he spoke, "You know that I can _hear _your yapping right? Now go and practice on the _makiwara_ for a hundred arrows!"

"A hundred?!"

Ichigo leered at them, "Want to make that two hundred? SCRAM!"

The two junior members were out of the room faster than Renji could blink. He walked over to the orange-haired fuku kaichou and asked, "What was that?"

"Tch. Those idiots were irritating."

"…ahan. You just be glad that the Captain isn't here. And thank God that Kuchiki-san is too busy with his work or else he'd hang you upside down for that stunt you just pulled."

"That Byakuya can go and mph!"

Renji quickly covered Ichigo's mouth, smiling disarmingly at any curious looks before hissing to Ichigo. "Do you _want_ to go through that guy's hellish training as a punishment _again_?! Don't forget that he's our team advisor! I don't care who shoved that stick up your ass, just take it the fuck out already! Stop taking your worries out on the rest of us you jackass!"

Ichigo pushed Renji away and retorted, "I do _not _have any worries."

Renji snorted and pointed at the _mato_ Ichigo had been using, "But of course. That explains why your score went from seventeen out of twenty to ten today. Who do you think you're fooling you idiot?"

Ichigo clenched his fist and reminded himself that he could not knock this idiot into next week or else the team wouldn't have a chance to win the next tournament. It was a hard battle for him as Renji suddenly spoke, his fist hitting his open palm.

"Oh wait I get it! Isn't the result for the entrance exams getting posted today? That's what's got your panties in a bunch right?"

Ichigo couldn't resist 'accidentally' hitting Renji in the ribs with his bow as he moved away. He took a bit of perverse satisfaction in the taller man's muffled pain-filled cursing.

"I don't care about that. Besides, the results are gonna be announced tomorrow."

Rubbing his sore ribs, Renji followed Ichigo to the backroom. "Sorry to bust your bubble but they're being announced today." His glance went up to the wall clock before he continued, "Or have already been posted on the main notice board for about three hours now."

"Ha? Wasn't the announcement date the fourth?"

"Today _is_ the fourth you idiot."

Renji started doing a mental countdown as Ichigo realized that he had mixed up his days and dates and that the results of his student were already out. Renji raised an eyebrow as the bright haired boy hurriedly went to his duffel, grabbed his cell phone and ran out. Smirking slightly Renji strode out yelling, "That was thirteen seconds! Who won the bet then?"

Not caring that he was still in his kyudo _hakama_ and _keiko-gi_, Ichigo ran through the crowd towards the front gate. He ignored the weird looks and yelled quick apologies to the people he bumped into on the way. He almost skid to a halt when he heard someone yell out his name but quickly picked up his pace as the Kaichou of the Kendo club came chasing after him. _'WHY can't that crazy idiot give up?!'_

As he turned around a building corner, he frantically searched for a place to hide. Noticing a conveniently located hedge, Ichigo dove behind it and prayed that the Demon Kendo Advisor wouldn't find him.

"Where'd that bastard go? I'll definitely beat him this time!"

"Ken-chan, I think he went that way!"

"Alright!"

Slowly Ichigo raised his head above the hedge before dropping his head to catch his breath and to let out a sigh. He really needed to figure out a more permanent solution to this problem of him. He stood up, brushing the stray leaves off his dark _hakama _and gathered his bearings. He let out a relieved breath as he realized that he was just a turn away from the main entrance notice board.

He flipped open his cell phone and searched for Orihime's mail. He had asked her to email him her entrance number so that he could know her result as well. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, he really was looking forward to seeing the auburn haired girl around campus. He sighed with relief as he noted that there were a few scant students milling around the notice board. He blinked, not completely believing his eyes as he saw a familiar red haired girl being manhandled by a dark haired girl.

Orihime was being pushed from behind by the short haired girl and was digging her heels into the ground, trying her best not to get any more close to the posted results. He quickened his pace, wondering what the hell was going on when their rather loud yelling came to his ears.

"I can't Tatsuki-chan!"

"You can and you _will_! You're already here! Just get it over with already!"

"But what if my number isn't there?"

"Then you can try again next year but just check already! I've already checked mine and Chizuru's!"

"But my heart will come out of my chest if I get any more closer to the results!"

"As if something like that is possible! Now _move_!"

"Tatsuki-chan! Plea- ah! Kurosaki-san!"

Both girls stop their struggles as the tall man strode over to them. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at them before he asked, "Too scared to check?"

The busty red head chuckled nervously and asked, "What gave it away?"

"Just a wild guess."

His gaze ticked to her left to look into her friend's dark eyes. Her gaze was curious and scrutinizing as though she was measuring him up. Ichigo scowled at her, not liking the feeling of someone that young trying to get a gauge on him.

"So you're Kurosaki-san eh? _Hajimemashite_. I'm Arisawa Tatsuki, Orihime's best friend."

"_Hajimemashite_. Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the dark haired girl suddenly reached out and grabbed a sneaking Orihime's shirt collar from behind.

"And where do you think _you're _going?"

"_Etooo_…"

"That's right. To check your result so that we can go home already!"

Curiously he asked, "How long have you been here?"

Tatsuki shrugged, "About two hours I think. She just won't budge. I'd check her result but she won't tell me her entrant number."

"If it's that, I have it too."

"You can't tell it Kurosaki-san!"

He frowned at the flailing girl. "Why not?"

"Because….because…just because!"

He eyed Orihime and then turned to Tatsuki, "I see why you've been stuck here for two hours." And then back towards his ex-student, "And that reason isn't good enough."

Without another word he strode towards the notice board. He stopped when a sudden force tugged him backwards. Quickly regaining his balance, he twisted around to see what had happened. Orihime had grabbed on to the back of his shirt with both hands in a bid to stop him. Realizing that he had stopped and was now frowning down at her, she let go with a quick apology.

"I….I'll check it myself. But!"

Tatsuki groaned, "But what?"

"I'll check it myself and….can you both please look the other way?"

Ichigo started to argue when Tatsuki quickly grabbed his arm and forced him to look the other way.

"Sorry about that", the dark haired girl spoke softly. "But I just want her to find out already if she's gotten in or not. Oh that reminds me! Can you tell me where the karate club is? I'd like to take a look at it before I leave."

'_Oh yeah…I remember Inoue telling me about this one. A national high school champion or something in karate…' _Ichigo pointed to the side with his right hand as he explained, "You'll have to go down that path over there. Keep on it until you get to the cafeteria- it's got big glass doors - you can't miss it. Turn right from there and you should come by the engineering department building. The dojo is right next to it."

"I've heard that your ladies team is really good! Can you tell me if…"

Ichigo zoned out her questions as he discreetly turned his head around to see Inoue. _'What the hell is taking so long? She just has to find her number and they're always in order. Maybe…'_

He ignored Tatsuki's calls and half turned around towards the large board. Orihime was standing there with her head bowed, hands covering her face. _'Shit. Don't tell me…'_

He turned fully and quickly made his way beside the auburn haired girl, his eyes scanning over the numbers. He chose not to focus on why his heart was beating so fast in his chest and focused more on finding…

Ichigo stared at the board and then down at the girl. Her small shoulders were shaking with suppressed sobs as she stood there, tears falling between her fingers. He placed a gentle hand on her head as Tatsuki came to stand beside her as well.

"Do you want to call Sora-san and tell him?"

She raised her tear stained face and nodded, hiccupping as she tried to control herself. Ichigo pulled out Sora's number from his contact list and pressed dial before handing it over to the sniffling girl. He watched as she greeted her brother before going off into a fresh round of tears that had her best friend crying out in worry.

He gentled pried his phone out her fingers and raised it up to his head, managing to hear Sora's concerned voice even when the phone was a few inches away from his ear.

"Orihime?! Is everything alright? What happened? Oye, Orihime!"

"Sora-san, this is Kurosaki."

"Kurosaki!? What happened? Why is Orihime crying?"

He smiled slightly as Orihime managed to tell Tatsuki her result and replied back, "Sora-san, the cherry blossoms are blooming."

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**Japanese terms:**

**Omamori - Protective charms or amulets used in Japan. The term literally means 'honorable protector'**

**Kakebukuro - a silk or cloth bag used by kyudo practitioners in which they keep their glove.**

**Makiwara - Its a specially designed straw target on which beginners and advanced students practice on. Not to be confused with the makiwara used in karate. You stand about seven feet away from it and practice on it to refine your technique rather than aim.**

**Keiko-gi - A short shirt worn by kyudo practitioners.**

***smiling at the end* I loved writing the ending of this chapter. And I LOVE the Internet (especially Wikipedia) which makes learning about kyudo so much more easier for me!  
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**Well lookie who barged into the fic when I was looking the other way! Zaraki-san, you dog! Where'd you sneak in from? And I was super hyped when I saw the scan of Bykuya doing kyudo. I was like "YES! I WIN!" **

**Please please review? *big puppy dog eyes* It'll make me super happy and make me type out the chapters faster than the rate I'm already at. And I'll…I'll….do the hare hare yukai! … say what? Not a good enough incentive? Dang…**


	4. So We Meet Again

**Alice-chan, you got your Rukia in this chapter. **

**I've been told that my updates came faster than what was expected. Should I take longer to update then? **

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**I'm just yanking yer chain. I'll stick to my every 2-4 days update schedule.**

**No guesses on who the guest appearances were in chapter 3? Awwwww *sniff sniff***

**Silly FF! Blame it for the fact that this is being posted two days late! And yeah, GO NOW and read Copper's new fic! Its WAY awesome! D:  
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**Disclaimer: No, don't own Bleach. Its too awesome to be owned by lil ole me.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 4 ~**

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"I'll expect you all to read the next two chapters in preparation of the next topic. And do not forget that I require an update on your research papers by the end of the week as well. I'll see you all next week then."

Orihime hummed happily as she quickly put her books into her bag. She slipped the bag's large strap over her shoulder and slipped out of her seat._'I should be able to get the readings done tonight if I manage to finish Yamamoto-sensei's work. Then I can…'_ Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when a loud voice called out her name, "Orihime-chan~~"

She had barely turned around when she got tackled by an overly enthusiastic Rangiku. Orihime weakly wacked her hand against Rangiku's arm as her face was pressed right into the older woman's ample chest 'Rangiku-san…I can't breathe…"

Not hearing or feeling the girls' weak protests, the strawberry blonde spoke, "Ne ne Orihime-chan! Let's go on a goukon today! My friend's arranging one with doctors!"

"Oye Matsumoto!"

Rangiku turned around to stare at the irate white haired student with visibly popping veins as he ground out, "Can you move yourself? You're blocking the way for the rest of us!"

She pouted, still clutching a very red faced Orihime between her arms as she replied, "You really need to loosen up you know. Just because you're a child genius doesn't mean that you can't let go once in a while. Why not come with me Shiro-chan?"

Rangiku could have sworn that the air around them got cooler by four degrees thanks to the glare that he directed at her. "No thanks. And don't call me Shiro-chan."

"Ara, but Hina-chan-sensei calls you that."

"Well she's known me longer than you have. Now get your butt out of the way!"

Rangiku (and a slightly blue faced Orihime) watched the short boy make his way to the front of the class to talk with Unohana-sensei. Rangiku sighed and confided in the younger red head, "He really needs to loosen up I think. But no matter what I try it's like he just gets more and more stiff......You think maybe he's afraid of big breasts?"

She glanced down and noticed that Orihime was just two minutes away from passing out due to a lack of oxygen and hurriedly let go of the girl. Orihime gasped and bent over a nearby desk as she tried to catch her breath.

"Sorry about that Orihime-chan! I got a bit over excited. So, will you come to the goukon?"

Orihime stood back upright, one hand on her chest and the other holding her bag in place. "Gomenasai Rangiku-san, I have to meet up with Tatsuki-chan."

"Aww that's too bad. Maybe next time ne?"

Orihime smiled and waved as the _oneegyaru_ girl bounced out of the classroom. _'I wish I could be a bit more like Rangiku-san in terms of confidence…'_ She sighed softly before heading out of the class and to meet Tatsuki-chan.

She made her way out of the engineering department, greeting the few teachers she passed by. Her smile widened as she caught sight of Tatsuki sitting on a nearby bench. Tatsuki raised a hand in acknowledgement and Orihime started to raise her own when a sudden beeping made her glance down at her bag.

She quickly searching in her bag for her new cell phone that she had received as a present from Sora. Slowly and clumsily she managed to open the newly received email.

'_Onii-chan? I hope everything's alright. Eto…I'll be coming home late tonight. Have to attend a business meeting with some executives from Tokyo. Eat your dinner and don't wait up for me. Love Sora. Then I'll make myself some spaghetti tonight! With chicken, mushrooms, vanilla and maybe broccoli…and I'll see what's on sale as well.'_

Pondering on what to make for dinner she made her way to her best friend. Tatsuki stood up as Orihime approached and picked up her duffel bag. "What's up?"

"Onii-chan just emailed me. He'll be home late tonight so I was wondering what I should make."

"If you want, I can ask my mom to make something for you. Or you can come over to my place."

Orihime waved away the offer with her hands, "I can't impose on you like that Tatsuki-chan! And I have a new recipe I'd like to try out as well! You wanna come over and help me make it?"

Her stomach quickly reminded her of the pains it had to go through the last time she had forced some of Orihime's food into it and Tatsuki quickly wondered of an appropriate way out, "Oh but see mom is making…sukiyaki tonight and I don't want to miss out on it!"

"Oh! Maybe next time then ne?"

Tatsuki wiped away the sweat that had formed on her brow, _'That was a close one…' _"So how was today's class?"

She listened to her friend jabber away about the class, her teachers, new classmates (Tatsuki found herself wondering how the hell Orihime ended up attracting perverts like Chizuru and Rangiku to her. Well the answer was a bit obvious but who the hell was gonna protect her from this Rangiku woman?) and lessons.

"Ne Tatsuki-chan…"

"What is it Orihime?"

She turned her attention towards her best friend, who in turn was staring away at a distant building. "Isn't that where the kyudo club is?"

"Yeah I think so." Tatsuki gave her friend a slight nudge in the ribs and a sneaky grin. "You want to go see Kurosaki in action?" Her grin turned in a full out leer as the other girl turned pink and twisted her bag strap in her hands. "Alright then! Lets go check it out!"

Protesting as the dark haired girl grabbed her by the wrist and strode determinedly over to the kyudo club, Orihime's heart felt as though it was on a race. She kind of wished there was some way she detach her hand from the rest of her body so that she could follow her body's instinct to just run away and hide beneath her futon.

She concentrated all her focus on her wrist. _'Detach! Detach! Detach! Please detach!' _She couldn't quite hide the desperate anxiety that was filling her up as the building came into clear sight. Some of the members were milling around outside, clearly taking a break from their club activities as they chatted amongst themselves. Many of them were standing there with their bows in hand as they talked.

Tatsuki strode over to the first person who in her path and asked, "Is Kurosaki in today? We'd like to see him."

Forgetting her worries for a moment, Orihime stared at the tall man's long pink hair and tattooed eyebrows . _'He looks so funny with those eyebrows! I wonder what he looks like when he frowns! I bet you can make all sorts of interesting faces with those eyebrows! But I wonder if he has to pluck his eyebrows to make sure that they don't cover his tattoos…I wonder how much it hurt too. And did he have to walk around with a bandage around his head when he got the tattoos? Oh dear…then how did he get around? That must have been terribly inconvenient! I'm never going to get tattooed eyebrows!'_

Renji nodded towards the building, "He's in there with the manager. You can go in and wait for him. We're done with today."

"Thank you. Let's go!"

Jerked out of her thoughts about tattoos, Orihime got dragged into the building and before she realized it, she was standing a few feet away from Ichigo. Or to be more precise, she was a few feet and one door away from him.

Orihime sat on her knees against the wall, her hands clutching her skirt tightly as she said, "Tatsuki-chan, I really don't think Kurosaki-san will be happy about this."

Tatsuki whispered back as one of the club members walked past them, "Who cares! You want to see him right?"

Blushing and being unable to hide anything from her best friend, Orihime could only give a soft nod.

"Then it's alright! Okay, the last guy just left. Let's go."

"Eh? Eh? Where are we going now? Shouldn't we wait for him here?"

Tatsuki gave her a dry look, "Baka. Just come with me."

Although she followed her friend as they tip toed over to the slight ajar door behind which they had been told that the club vice president and manager were currently in the middle of a meeting, Orihime whispered, "We really shouldn't be doing this…"

"…have a shot at it."

"Nii-sama approved of your training schedule for the new comers as well. Though he did say that you should increase the time spent on the basic techniques."

"Alright, I'll fix that and give you the new training schedule. We can hand it out by next week."

"That sounds reasonable enough. And about the budget…"

Tatsuki gently pulled Orihime against her as they both leaned against the wall right beside the open door, listening to the soft conversation between the two members. Orihime wondered what this girl looked like…given her way of speaking she sounded as though she was from a noble family…maybe she was an ojou-sama. Unable to resist the temptation, Orihime slowly and cautiously leaned forward to take a peek at the club manager.

'_She really is pretty…_' was the first thought that came to mind as she saw the dark haired girl. Her shoulder length hair was straight and shiny in a way her own hair never quite managed to be. Her eyes were large, violet and calm. Her every gesture was filled with a grace that one could not help but notice and admire. She was sitting beside Ichigo on the small table - their shoulder's brushing as they leaned over the table.

'_They look so comfortable sitting that close to each other…he doesn't even mind it when she touches his hand. He would move away from me even if our hands would accidentally touch.'_ Misery filled her as she watched the two converse quietly and a thought came to her, unbidden and unwelcome. _'Maybe…they are going out?'_

That thought made her feel as though her stomach had just turned to lead. Her heart and her head felt heavy, as though she had a fever. She shuffled back, ready to get up and leave when Tatsuki's sudden tugging had her turning her attention towards her friend. Tatsuki was making frantic gesturing motions towards the door and Orihime turned her attention back towards the conversation.

"I can't believe you ran out of here in your club uniform! Were you _that _worried about her?"

"Oh shut up already. I was just in a hurry."

"Ah so you _were_ worried about her. I really want to meet this ex-student of yours. I wonder how she looks like too. She's got to be something special that you went with her on a date to the amusement park."

A sudden spluttering sound. "It wasn't a _date_! I promised her a reward and that's what she wanted."

"You couldn't have gotten her hair clips or a book or something?"

Even though she strained, Orihime couldn't hear his mumbled response. But whatever it was, it had the other girl laughing like anything. "That I'd live to see the day when Kurosaki Ichigo gives in to the whims of a woman!"

"S'cuse me for being a man who lives up to his promises!"

"But I gotta ask something. From what I've heard, she's smart, she's pretty, she's really gentle and kind _and_ she's got a great figure. And your antics well…they speak for themselves really. So why do you still insist that you don't feel anything for her?"

"Because I _don't_! She's just a kid_! And_ our senpai's little sister, in case you've forgotten. She's like a little sister to me and that's _all_ she's gonna be. Nothing more."

Tears come to her eyes at his statement. She couldn't pin-point why but what he said hurt. It really _hurt_ that he thought of her like that. Quietly, she moved away from the doorway and made her way quickly towards the entrance. Tatsuki looked at the doorway and then at her friend's quickly retreating form. As quietly as she could manage, she quickly moved away to follow Orihime.

Orihime wiped away her tears, not wanting Tatsuki to see them as she strode briskly towards the entrance. In her haste to leave, she didn't realize that she had accidentally caught her foot in the long strap of a nearby bag and went tumbling down with a surprised cry.

"Orihime! Are you alright?!"

She rubbed her forehead and sat up with Tatsuki's support. Her hands moving up to her throbbing forehead as she winced at the pain. Tatsuki's slim fingers gently pressed on the hurt area, drawing a whimper from the long-haired girl.

"Oye, what's goin…_Inoue_?!"

Orihime felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest at the familiar sound of her name in that voice. Willing her heartbeat to return to normal, she turned her head around. She saw that he and the petite manager were standing right outside the door and staring at the two girls with near identical expressions of surprise. She gave them what was a bright smile, "Konbanwa Kurosaki-san."

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Ichigo was pissed. He was pissed that the cafeteria was so noisy today. He was pissed that he had to complete a paper within three days. He was pissed that his miso soup was too salty. He was pissed that Rukia kept jabbering away at full speed beside him. And above all, he was pissed as _hell_ that Orihime wasn't meeting his eye and he couldn't figure out _why._ And _that_ was grating on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

Moodily he stabbed the mackerel, picked the piece up and popped it into his mouth. _'Whatever. Not like I give a shit if she's being moody.'_

Completely aware of Ichigo's growing bad mood, Rukia wondered, _'What the hell is wrong with him? He was fine just a while ago.'_ She watched from the corner of her eye as he scowled down at the tempura before picking it up and biting down on it with more force than was strictly required. His gaze suddenly darted up to look across the table at the smiling ginger haired girl before he let out a barely audible 'tch' and resumed to scowling down at his tray of food. _'Is he mad at her for showing up at the club? Geez, this guy is too much…'_

"How long have you been the kyudo club manager Kuchiki-san?"

Deciding to ignore the orange head's foul mood, Rukia turned her attention back towards Tatsuki and Orihime. Tatsuki was blowing on the noodles on her chopsticks as Orihime beamed at her. "Ah well I think it's been nearly 3 years I think. I became the manager when I was in my first year and that was when nii-sama also became the faculty adviser for the club."

Tatsuki looked up from the bowl of ramen to ask curiously, "Nii-sama? Your brother is part of the faculty?"

Rukia smiled slightly, "He's part of the faculty for Literature and Culture. Kuchiki Byakuya."

Orihime clapped her hands together, "I have him for my Japanese Literature class! He seems really nice!"

Rukia noticed the subtle twitch that went through Ichigo at the girl's moment and fought back the urge to smirk like a wolf. _'Well well well…'_ Wondering if maybe she could somehow manage to get a bigger reaction out of the boy Rukia continued, "Isn't he though? Poor nii-sama has had to bat away girls ever since he started this job. They never seem to mind the fact that he's married."

Orihime nodded, "He is handsome in that manner. But I like his hair noodles the best."

Rukia blinked in surprise, Tatsuki dropped her chopsticks and Ichigo nearly choked on the rice. He coughed hard before taking a few large gulps of water as Rukia meekly asked, "I'm sorry but did you say…hair...noodles?"

"Isn't that what they are? A new fashion?"

Ichigo didn't even try to keep the laughter from bursting out of his mouth. That was arguably the best joke he'd heard on Byakuya in a good long while. His shoulders shaking with laughter as he leaned over on the other side, ignoring Rukia's scathing glare completely. Tatsuki weakly apologized, "Sorry bout that. She's got a bit of a wild imagination."

Rukia waved her hand lightly, still in a bit of a shocked daze "No it's alright. It was…an interesting description. Not one I'd tell him in any case."

As Tatsuki quickly explained to Orihime the significance behind the teacher's hair style, Rukia glared at Ichigo's back. The bastard was still laughing. His back straightened as he turned back, wiping away the tears from his eyes. His amusement disappeared when he saw Rukia steal the last tempura shrimp off his plate.

"You'd better put that back where it belongs!"

Rukia smirked before daintily popping the seafood in her mouth, chewed on it and quickly swallowed it.

"Fine then!"

Ichigo quickly grabbed his chopsticks and managed to steal the last piece of tamagoyaki from her bento (he knew that to be her favorite). In the few scant minutes in which Tatsuki had explained to Orihime that "No, Byakuya-sensei isn't wear hair noodles or hair curlers, you called it a _kenseikan_ which shows that you're of noble birth.", the two kyudo club members had ended up in a small fist fight.

Tatsuki gaped at the sight of Ichigo's hand being firmly twisted by the petite girl while he held her hand gripped tightly, both mere inches away from each other's plate. She turned shocked towards Orihime who had one finger on her lips as she said in a wistful tone, "It must be nice to have all love-love like that in a relationship…"

Both Rukia and Ichigo froze mid snarl and turned their heads slowly towards Orihime. Ichigo asked slowly, as though he had misheard what she had said, "_Excuse me?_"

Blithely she repeated, "I said that must be to have a love-love relationship like you two do."

Ichigo dropped Rukia's hand from his as though it was a poisonous snake before pointing a finger at the petite girl, "You couldn't _pay _me enough money to even _consider_ getting into a relationship like that with this midget!"

Rukia was brushing her sleeve off as she spoke, "I think you're forgetting that we were a couple once."

Three pair of startled eyes turned to the dark haired girl before Ichigo groaned and face palmed. "God, do you still remember that? HOW many time do I hafta apologize for that?!"

Tatsuki asked with a hint of hesitation in her voice, "Dare I ask….?"

Rukia smirked, "We were a couple like, way before." Ichigo snorted and said, "Don't play with words and just tell it straight. We were like five or six. And it was only for two _days_."

Orihime repeated his statement, "Two days? What happened?"

Rukia hit Ichigo over the head with her notebook as she spoke, "This clod broke my favorite doll."

"For God's sake! It was over fifteen _years_ ago and _it was an accident_!"

And that just made the pair go back to their bickering. Tatsuki gave a confused and slightly amused look at Orihime, who was wondering if she let out a delight squee right now, would it be considered rude? She had to satisfy herself by happily tapping her feet against the floor while patting her hands against her thigh to the happy tune in her head.

Tatsuki leaned over and asked softly, "What's with you?" Orihime beamed back, shaking her head slightly, "I'm just happy!" Tatsuki raised a slightly confused eyebrow before hesitantly replying, "If you say so…"

"Oye Ichigo, Rukia!"

The pair turned around to stare at Renji as he made his way over to their table and stood behind Rukia's chair. "You seriously need to grow up, you know that right?"

Rukia merely let out a small 'humph' while Ichigo pointed at her, "She's the one who starts it!"

"You're just proving my point. Anyways, you ready to go?"

Rukia started to quickly wrap up her bento box asking, "Did you make the reservations at Black Stones like always?"

Renji nodded as he plucked her coat and bag out of her hands, "Some of the guys already left."

Orihime stood up, pushing her seat away with one hand before standing up fully. "We'll take our leave as well. It was nice seeing you again Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo nodded at the two girls as he picked up his bag. "You too Inoue, Arisawa."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute!" Renji grabbed Ichigo by his jacket, "_She_ was the girl you'd tutor?"

Ichigo scowled at the shocked expression on his friend's face, "Yeah so?"

Renji ignored his question completely before turning to Rukia, "How did this idiot manage to land a teaching job to such a cute girl? Is this what they call divine luck of the heavens?"

Orihime blushed at the compliment and spoke timidly, "We should be going now…" But Renji and fate apparently had different plans…and they were far more convincing as well.

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**Lets get the Japanese terms outta the way eh?**

**Gyaru- Japanese transliteration of the English word 'gals'. The term was applied to fashion and peer conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. (Wikipedia banzai~)**

**Oneegyaru – is a gyaru who has graduated from high school and has become a more mature onee-san and their style is more mature. (Wikipedia banzai~ banzai~ banzai~)**

**Black Stones. Shout out to the amazing, wonderful, super, 'HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO AWESOME!' Nana! I hope Yazawa-san gets well soon again. I want more Nana! I NEED to know what's the story with little Ren. And shit, I'll admit it…I need my Shin-chan fix.**

***ticks off more of the cast who jumped in when she wasn't looking* Rangiku, Yama-jii, Hinamori, Retsu-san, Hitsugaya...they all sneaked in from the backdoor when I was looking the other way. And dear God, I don't get chased by an ash cat for turning its owner into a gyaru girl *hides underneath a sofa***

**Reviews will make me a really happy and motivated writer! :D  
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	5. Sake and Seduction

**Phooey. No one caught the reference I made in chapter 3. So here they are: Maru-chan from Kimi ni Todoke, Kujirou from Penguin Prince and Ludwig is the mascot for Aerandria Scans!  
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**Can you recognize the song that Hime sings in this chapter? And, **

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**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

**To get the best kick out of the scene after Renji and Rukia's comments, turn on HOLLOWED from Bleach OST 3. **

**Trust me. No track suits it better. Trust me on this. It'll make it so much more better. There'll be a ****** divider from where that scene starts.**

**Love to Thail~! And copper, hope you like! :D  
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**Disclaimer: le applied.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 5 ~**

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Orihime laughingly sat back down in her seat after completing her song, blushing at the cheering and clapping she was getting from everyone. She plopped back between Tatsuki and Renji, blushing red at Hisagi's loud praises, "That's the first time I've heard an anime song being sung well enough!"

Keigo was all but singing his praises of the girl while a few of the sophomores were praising her in a more normal manner. Ichigo wished he could just shove all of them into a meat grinder and make them into hamburger patties for WacDonalds. Though some of his murderous rage ebbed away at seeing the genuinely happy expression on her face as she clapped for Renji and Rukia as they took the stage.

'_The hells wrong with me?'_ He pondered as he flinched at the high note Rukia attempted to hit. Attempted being the key word. _'Why am I getting so strung up that they're praising her? They're only praising her…not like they're gonna eat her up or anything…and she's really happy too…God damn it. What the HELL is wrong with me.'_

His grip tightened on his beer glass as he watched Hisagi lean over (_'Does he HAVE to lean over to whisper in her ear? Why isn't she stopping him?'_) and speak to her (_'What the hell is saying to her that he has to say it in her ear?'_) and then she giggled ('_She won't look me in the eye but she'll flirt with the first guy who tries to make a move on her?'_). She was giving him her full attention, her body slightly turned towards his (_'If she moves even a little more, their knees will be touching!'_) as they spoke through the singing and the noise.

He raised his glass to his lips. _'Tch. Let her do whatever the hell she wants. She's old enough to deal with whatever happens next.'_ He froze as he fully processed that thought. The thought of some man doing all that with a girl like Orihime made him feel…ill. It made his chest feel heavy and constricted all of a sudden. He eyed the beer with some suspicion before eyeing the glasses in front of him, _'How much did I drink already? . . . How much as she drank anyways?'_

He counted the number of empty glasses in front of her, leaving out the orange juice she had started with and was amazed that she could hold her liquor. Other than the constant red cheeks, she didn't look as though the drink was getting to her. His sharp gaze ticked up from the table to Hisagi as he noticed him trying to sneak his arm around the girl's shoulders.

Hisagi stopped suddenly and slowly turned to look at Ichigo before quickly moving his hand back to his side, not liking the murderous glare that he had just received. Noticing the sudden stiffness of the man next to her, Orihime asked, "Are you alright Shuhei-kun?" He gave her a stiff smile, "Absolutely fine. Will you excuse me a minute?"

Bewildered she watched him bolt out of the room and wondered what had made him run out like that. Feeling as though she was being watched, she turned to look around her and was startled when she realized that Ichigo was looking at her. His smug expression shifted to something she couldn't quite identify as their eyes met and held for a few moments. Flustered she quickly broke the stare and picked up her glass of beer and finishing it. _'Why is he looking at me like that?'_

Deciding that it would be best not to think too deeply into the fact, she took up the glass offered to her by the short haired man in front of her. She eyed the glass before asking, "What is this?"

"Sake." The man replied as he pointed to the open seat beside her, "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Oh no please. Go ahead."

Rukia watched as the man sat down next to Inoue and noticed with a slight degree of alarm as Inoue started drinking from the glass that the man had offered her. She leaned in over Renji, towards Ichigo, "Oye Ichigo. Looks like Toki's putting the move on Inoue."

The orange haired student gave the two a look that was both dark and angry before letting out an impatient, "Tch. Let her do whatever the hell she wants."

Rukia raised an eyebrow before exchanging a glance with Renji. The latter leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Is he… jealous?"

Rukia nodded, her fingers fiddling with the straw of her oolong tea as she replied, "I don't think he even realizes that…"

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**(Put on Hollowed for this scene)**

Ichigo wiped his hands clean with the thick paper tissue before balling it up and tossing it into the nearby dustbin. He hoped that the others had gotten over their urge of making him "sing like the canary that he was" as Keigo had said. Ichigo rubbed a tired hand over his face as he made his way out of the men's bathroom.

'_I swear if that idiot says one more time that he wants to sit next to Inoue, I'm gonna rip his th-'_

Ichigo stopped and pressed himself against the wall as he heard Orihime's slurred voice, "Ne ne Toki-san, can you see dat the floor is doin the salsa with the walls?"

The boy's next words had Ichigo clenching his fist and waiting for the boy to turn the corner. "It's alright Orihime-san. I'll take you somewhere you can rest with ease. It's just a little walk away."

Ichigo's frame tensed as the sound of Orihime's giggles increased and her slightly off-key voice floated through the air, "I should give some music for the dancing ne? Kimi dakee ga sugiisatta saka nooo toochuuuu ha, atataka na hidamaaari ga ikuuutsu mooo dekitetaaa…"

He waited, his breath caught in his throat as Toki muttered something incoherent before saying, "Just a minute Orihime-san." _'What the hell…?'_

"What do you want?"

Ichigo leaned forward towards the corner, straining to hear the conversation the boy was having. _'Who is he talking too? Did he get a call?' _The boy's voice was harsh as he spoke, "Dude now is _not _the time to be calling me! I'm like this close to scoring with the hottest chick on campus alright?"

'_That's it. I'm sending this guy home in a body bag.'_ Ichigo fought the urge to crack his knuckles but of fear that he could be overheard he did and just chose to wait for the bulky boy to just make the turn around the corner…

Toki grunted, "Fine. I'll come by later. Just don't call me for the next few hours alright?" Muttering under his breath he turned towards the heavy bosomed girl as she leaned against the brightly painted wall, one hand on her forehead as though she was struggling to remember something.

"Is everything alright Orihime-san?"

Her voice was strained as she spoke, "I...I don't feel very well…I think I'm forgetting something……something very important…"

Toki held up her bag, "You mean your bag? I have it right here. If that's all, shall we go? Can you manage to walk to the door?"

He successfully pushed back the urge to smirk as she nodded and took his proffered hand as they slowly began to walk. Toki couldn't wait. By this time tomorrow, he would be bragging that he managed to be the first person on campus to bag the very bangable Inoue Orihime. And he was just one turn and a few feet away from –

Toki looked up in surprise at the figure of his club vice-president as he stood leaning against the wall, his hands tucked in his jeans pockets in a seemingly relaxed pose. But the tightness of his muscles and the dark expression on his face spoke a completely different story as he slowly straightened up and faced the boy who had just turned the corner.

"Yo Toki. Where do you think you're going?"

Toki had been on the receiving end of the vice president's ire a few times before but suddenly that seemed nothing compared to the anger and rage that was all but pulsing off him right now. This guy in front of him looked ready to commit murder with his bare hands and then lick the blood of his raw knuckles with a grin on his face. And then laugh like a maniac before walking away without a care in the world.

Falling over his words Toki replied, "J-just…I was just…she said she wasn't feeling well…gonna take her to lie down…"

Ichigo took a step forward and Toki had to forcibly stop himself to taking a defensive step back as Ichigo loomed over him, taking advantage of the fact that he was a few inches taller. "Oh really? Well aren't you kind-hearted. All those rumors must have been wrong about you then huh? Saying that you're nothing but the sleep with em and leave em type."

Toki cried out, half in surprise and half in pain as Ichigo grabbed his wrist in a tight grip, his voice low and clear "Let go of her. Now."

The minute Toki let go of the girl, she leaned heavily against the wall and mumbled something under her breath before slowly crumpling to the floor. Toki barely noticed as he kept his scared gaze locked on the man in front of him. He watched as the dark hazel eyes went to see Orihime before ticking back up to meet his. His voice was barely above a hiss as he asked, "What did you give her?"

"W-what?"

Ichigo grabbed Toki by the collar and dragged him around the corner, a few feet away from Orihime, before slamming him hard against the wall. Ichigo took satisfaction in the pained yelp that the boy let out as well as the solid smack his head made against the wall. "_What_ did you give her?"

Toki held up his hands in a gesture of innocence, "_Nothin_! "

"Toki…" Ichigo leaned in to give the boy a slow, dangerous smile, his hand twisting the material of his shirt collar "Don't give me more reasons to hurt you. I know what you were gonna do with her. If you want to walk out of here with your legs intact, I'd suggest you start talking."

Toki felt as though his blood just froze in his veins as Ichigo's voice dropped from its normal timber to become hard and sharp. Although Ichigo's grip had barely tightened with his words, Toki still felt as though a hand was cutting off his respiratory functions.

"I-I j-j-j-just made her dr-drink a lot of s-s-sake! That's all I SWEAR!"

Ichigo eyed the frantic boy carefully, weighing his words before loosening his grip lightly. Toki let out a relieved sigh and some color started to come back in his face as he thought that he'd be able to get out of this one alive and without any broken bones. He made to move away when a sudden punch into the wall, a mere few inches away from his nose had him startling backward.

Toki looked back up into the orange haired man's eyes as he ground out, "Who the _fuck_ said that you could leave?"

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo winced as Orihime hit the ending high note of the song before collapsing against him in a fit of giggles. He sighed before adjusted her arm around his shoulder and tightening his grip around her waist. "I think you should stop singing Inoue."

"eeeeeeh? Why? Are y' implyin m' a bad shinger?"

'_Is she even gonna remember any of this by tomorrow?_' Shaking his head at the thought and as her reply he spoke, "You'll end up with a dry throat soon enough."

Her free hand went up to her face, her finger pressing against her lips as she pondered his point. "Hmm my throat just doesn't feel dat dry~!" She beamed at him before throwing her free arm up in the air and cheering, "Yatta! I don't really have a dry throat! Banzai~!"

'_Oh for God's sake!'_ Ichigo fought to keep both their balance as she trying to hop along rather than walk along side him. Though he had to hand to her, she could really pack away the liquor. He didn't think that she'd be able to but…

A few moments of silence had him twisting his head to look at the girl and he was surprised to see her leaning in towards his neck. Flustered and alarmed he asked, "What are you doing?!"

She raised her hand up to his neck, her finger's tugging at the collar of his white oxford shirt as she spoke, "What s'at on your shirt? S' looking like red paint."

Feeling his blood start to boil again at the thought of the piece of garbage he had left in the alley behind the karaoke place, Ichigo tightened his grip on her waist and quickened his pace, "Its just paint. Let's hurry alright. I don't want Sora-san to worry anymore about you."

"Oh but he won't be home until waaaaaaaaay later tonight."

Ichigo stopped to stare at the girl, who took advantage of his slackened grip to skip ahead of him, her bag swinging beside her. Ichigo quickly strode over to stand in front of her, "Wait wait. You said that he won't be home tonight?"

She laughed and smacking him hard on his back, making his gasp "Kurosashi-san makes the best jokes! Like onii-chan would do anything like that! He'll just be late that's all~ Ne ne Kurosashi-san, lets race to the building eh? It's just around the corner!"

Realizing that she was ready to sprint, Ichigo quickly bent down and swept the girl up on his shoulder. The drunk girl blinked in utter surprise at the sudden change in her vision as she found herself staring down Ichigo's back. Her sudden giggles made Ichigo wonder, _'What the hell does she find so funny about this?' _"Kurosakashi-san has such a nice butt!" Ichigo felt his face turn hot at her comment and he tightened his hold on her before he started walking. _'She couldn't have been a quiet drunk?!'_

Ichigo kept one hand on her hips and the other on her legs, feeling grateful that she was wearing a long skirt as he quickly strode past the few people on the street. Even though it was after eight, there were still quite a few people out tonight and giving him curious stares. Although Ichigo was very sure that maybe one of them would have called the cops had it not been the fact that the girl he was carrying like a sack of potatoes was singing about lollipops, pink sheep's and two-headed dinosaurs.

Ichigo let out an audible sigh of relief as her apartment building came into view. He stooped down to place Orihime back on her feet. She swayed slightly, her hand coming up to press against her forehead and the other grasping his sleeve for balance. Ichigo raised his hand up to hers, letting it hover uncertainly as she whimpered softly before placing it on her shoulder tentatively.

His tone infinitely more gentle than it had been with Toki as he asked, "You want me to help you up to your place?" _'Maybe carrying her like that wasn't the best idea given that she was drunk'_ He couldn't help but think guiltily as she placed a hand over her mouth.

Her small nod and tightening grip on his sleeve was his only answer as they slowly climbed up the metal steps slowly. He held her bag as she riffled through it in search of her keys. He took the keys out of her hands with a quiet, "Here, let me." He opened the locked door and pushed her in. He made her stand still as he squatted down to pull her sandals off her feet before standing back up and pushing his own boots off.

He led her into the next room, one hand on her shoulder and the other holding onto her hand as she shuffled towards the plush sofa. Her hands tightly gripped his forearms as she slowly sat down on the sofa. Ichigo could feel the heat of her hands as her grip tightened on his arms before relaxing as she sunk into the soft cushions. She was quiet now, looking up at him with dark stormy eyes in a manner that made his race speed up slightly. He swallowed past the lump in his throat before standing up, suppressing the urge to shiver as her hands slowly slide down his arms and hands before falling into her lap. He cleared his throat before muttering, "I'll get you some water."

He hastened to the kitchen, running a hand over his face tiredly before rummaging around the cabinets in search of a glass. Placing the tall glass on the counter, he opened the fridge door and peered in. He plucked out the bottled water before turning around and very nearly dropped the bottle as he found himself almost toe to toe with Orihime. "Inoue?!?"

There was a rather….sultry and seductive air about her that he found very _very _alarming and it was doing weird things to his legs and throat. He stumbled backwards against the fridge, the bottle slipping from his nerveless fingers to fall on the ground with a dull, solid thud as she slowly leaned into him. _'What the hell is she doing?!'_

His heart was pounding away as she pouted up at him and asked in a tone he'd never heard her use before, "Ne Kurosaki-san…what am I to you?"

"_Excuse me_?" He mentally winced at the near squeak his voice had been in but she didn't notice and if she had, she chose to ignore it as she continued, "What am I to Kurosaki-san? Why are you doing this? Is it because I'm onii-chan's little sister that you feel responsible towards me? Or is it something else?"

'_How come she doesn't even sound drunk right now?'_ Ichigo tried to slip away from her, trying to get some distance between them and maybe some semblance of normality as he replied, "You're like a sister to me Inoue! I promised Sora-san that I'd watch out for you."

She let out a soft "hmmmm" as her dark, hazy eyes watched him inch away slowly towards the left, his hand holding onto the kitchen counter. She lazily stepped forward towards him, making him nearly scuttle back as she asked, "Then when you scared Shuuhei-san and Toki-san away it was nothing but brotherly concern?"

Ichigo nodded as his back hit the wall, _'Fuck! I'm stuck in a corner now.'_ She was standing barely two feet away from him as she dropped her hands to take hold of her cream colored top. Alarm shot through him and his eyes went wide as she spoke, "Then if I did this, you wouldn't feel anything would you?"

His eyes widened and a dark flush came to his face as the skin of her stomach was revealed. His hand darted forward quickly to grasp her top in front of her stomach, pulling it down as she pulled it up from the sides. He gave her a warning frown as he hissed out, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

She gave him a lazy smile that made his swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing before he had to remind himself to breathe. _'Oh shit…'_ She placed her hand over his, her fingertips barely resting against his too hot skin. Slowly, oh so slowly, she began to run her fingertips up his arm as she stepped closer up to him.

He swallowed hard as he stood uncomfortably close to Orihime. The mantra kept repeating through his head, _'What the hell is she doing? What the hell am I doing here?' _He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing back under control. _'Don't think about her. Don't think about how close she is an-holy shit!'_ His eyes popped open as she pressed herself fully against him.

He could feel her soft breasts pressing against his chest as her fingers played with his shirt collar. She was straddling his thigh, the light material of her skirt brushing against his ripped jeans. He shivered slightly as her fingers brushed against the side of his neck, tracing lazy patterns upwards towards his ear. _'Crap crap crap.'_ And then he made the mistake to look into her eyes.

Startled hazel met hazy grey and again, he had to remind himself to breathe. Her eyes were the same grey as the color of the rain clouds that he hated so much. But those rain clouds didn't hold the smallest specks of silver in their depths. Neither were they filled with so much emotion that it made it difficult for him to pinpoint them. _'Shit…'_

Her intense gaze was locked with his as her hand rested behind his head, playing with his hair in a way that made a small tremor go through his body and a light haze cover his senses. He raised his hands to push her away. She was drunk. She was _clearly _not in her right state of mind. He had to stop her….His brain froze as she slowly rose to her tip-toes and her hand applied a gentle pressure to push his head down.

A small voice in his head kept screaming, _'What the fuck am I doing?! I shouldn't be doing this! I should stop this!' _His body was moving against his wishes as his hands came to rest on her waist as her other hand came to rest over his upper arm. _'Push her away! Push her away!' _Their eyes were half mast as their lips were a few scant centimeters away from each other. A small treacherous voice in his head mused quietly, _'I wonder how soft her lips are…'_

And that was when she said it. It made his brain and body freeze and his eyes pop open as her breath washed over his lips. "Ichi…go…"

He stared in surprised shock into her eyes before they fluttered close and all he felt was her slump completely against him. "OYE!" He quickly dropped down slightly to grasp her slack body and pulled her back up. Her body was relaxed and fully leaning against his as she breathed in deeply.

"_Fuck!"_

* * *

***hiding in a secret place to avoid getting lynched by angry fan girls***

**Shout-out to my favorite shoujo story of all freaking time and that's CLANNAD. Possibly the only story that may beat it, could be the upcoming Angel beats!**

**Reviews will help me get over this silly writers block that I have at present! And please don't kill me for this cliffie!  
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	6. Girl Talk

**A few folks were expecting Sora to come bursting in the end. Like I'd let him come back that soon~ (Actually that idea never occurred to me XD) And two people were scared/worried/thought that Ichigo might get raped by Hime. Dude….really? *looks at Hime worriedly* Did I wind up making you too forward? Blame it on the alcohol people! **

**A special special thanks to Amar cause I came back to re-write a part in this chapter and he helped me make that scene way better than it originally was. Plus, also thanks to my 'test subjects', Amar and copper! . . . what? I need to conduct a test from a sample of the population in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the chapter? (Like, can't you tell I'm a business student? :P)Love to Thail as always *muwah!*  
**

**Alice-chan, lots of Rukia for you in this chapter! :D **

**Rukihime ftw =3**

**Disclaimer: Pass the applied stamp over wouldja please? Thanks.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 6 ~**

**.**

Orihime dreamed that she was standing in a giant arena wearing a medieval armor while facing off a nine-foot monster made entirely out of porridge (with black currents for eyes and strawberry nails). She had tried to do a tuck and roll as the monster's large hand swung in a lazy arc towards her. But the armor made her slower than usual and she cried out as the monster grabbed her around the waist. She screamed as the monster raised her up by the leg and opened his mouth.

She kicked at the monster's hand with all her might but it was futile. She closed her eyes as she fell into his mouth and fought to keep her breath as she tried to struggle against the porridge. She tried to swim upwards but she felt as though she was not moving. She had to get to the ringing noise that was coming from above her. It was surely coming from outside…'_Its sounds so familiar as well…Just like my ringtone…'_

Orihime let out a pitiful groan into her pillow as she realized that it was indeed her cell phone that was ringing away merrily. Cracking open her eyes, she squinted as she tried to locate her ringing phone. The indigo cell phone was merrily singing away as she raised her heavy arm to grab the phone.

After a few missed attempts at grasping the phone, Inoue rolled over on her back and flipped it open with both her hands. _'Whose number is this?'_ She pressed the green call button before pressing the phone to her head and croaking out, "_Moshi moshi_?"

"Finally awake eh?"

"Kurosaki-san!" Alarm and surprise went through her body and she sat up like she was shot. The immediate rush of nausea and pain that went through her head made her regret her sudden action and made her grimace in pain. Unable to help herself, she moaned at the throbbing pain behind her temples, "_Itaaaaa_…"

"From the sounds of that, I'm gonna guess you have one hell of a hangover."

Orihime rubbed her forehead and moved the phone away her ear as she mumbled into the phone, "Not so loud please Kurosaki-san. Ugh. I feel like I may throw up any minute now."

She wondered why he sounded so…distant as he replied back, "Remember that next time you go out drinking then. I called Sora-san last night and told him that you accidentally drank some sake and that I brought you home."

That made the little elves working inside her head tug at her memory chords. There was something she was forgetting…something that had happened after she had drank the sake. She remembered leaving the room with Toki and then…the next thing she recalled was walking with Ichigo and proposing a race to the apartment. She even recalled him helping her sit in the sofa. But after that…it was a bit hazy. But between leaving the room and walking down the road…she couldn't remember anything…

"Ne Kurosaki-san…"

"What?"

She bit her lip before asking hesitantly, "I got drunk didn't I?"

A hesitant pause he replied, "Yeah. You did."

"I didn't do anything…odd did I?"

She held her breathe as silence hung between them. She could hear the sounds of students yelling to each other but not the sound of him breathing. His voice was neutral, _'Too neutral…'_ she couldn't help but think as he replied, "Not really. You passed out a little while after I brought you home. Look, I have to get to class in a little while. Make sure to take some aspirin if you want to get rid of your headache."

Orihime nodded and again regretted the sudden head movement as her vision swam, "Arigatou Kurosaki-san."

"Uhn. See you around."

Ichigo closed his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand. He slid his hand down over his face, making it rest over his mouth as he blindly stared in front of him.

Since last night when Orihime had passed out in his arms, he had been questioning his reaction over her actions. Seeing the normally cheerful and innocent girl behave so…wantonly in front of him had made him flounder in a sea of uncertainty. And his body not following his brain's orders had made him more confused than anything. He tried telling himself that it wasn't anything and she had just surprised him with her forwardness but…

'_Why did I feel disappointed when she passed out? Did I really want to kiss her? But isn't that a natural reaction for a guy to have towards an attractive girl? I mean sure she looks really pretty when she smiles. And when the sun falls on her just right she looks-Urgh. I can't think of her like that! She's too young and too innocent, no matter how pretty she is. I just can't be feeling that way towards a girl like her.'_

Ichigo grasped his phone with both his hands, his head bowed down as he scowled at the nightshade that was growing underneath the bench he was sitting on. _'It couldn't be that she…no that can't be. I've never done anything that would make her feel anything like that towards me. I've always treated her like I would Yuzu or Karin. She's smart enough to realize that. But then…why was she acting that way last night? Was it just the alcohol? Or was it something more than the booze talking?_'

He ran an irritated hand through his already wildly spiky hair as his head swam with questions, all of them starting and ending around his grey eyed kouhai. _'More than that…do I really want it to be the booze talking? Do I want it to be more than the alcohol?.........What do I really want…?" _He raised his head, his gaze contemplative as he pondered over that question. He was surprised when he reached the answer within a few moments and he quietly confided in the sweet smelling breeze. "I just want her to be safe and happy…"

'_Yeah…I think that's it in a nutshell. I just want to see her smile. I promised Sora-san that I'd look out for her and that's what I'm gonna do. No matter what, I'll protect her smile.'_

He looked down at his phone as it vibrated - alerting him to the fact that he had five minutes before his class started. With a sigh he picked up his bag and slipped his phone into his jeans back pocket. _'At least she doesn't seem to remember what happened last night. That's one less thing to feel embarrassed about. Though I wish I could ask her what she meant with what she asked me…'_

If someone would have asked him that question a month back, he would have had a clear and quick answer. But now….he wasn't sure at all. He could hear her voice clearly in his head, almost as though she was standing right next to him. _'What am I to Kurosaki-san?'_ He shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Wish I knew that too…"

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime couldn't quite decide what pie she wanted to eat. If she was to purely choose on the basis of the names then the 'Temptation of the Witch' seemed interesting…then again the 'First Love of the Mermaid' seemed interesting as well…

Rukia eyed the auburn haired beauty with amusement as she carefully poured over the menu as she pondered over the choices. The County Momma was one of her favorite places to visit and they had the best pie around. The cozy and homely atmosphere coupled with the warm smell of freshly baked pie always sent her in a comfortable mood.

"May I take your order?"

Rukia glanced up at the long, brown haired waitress as she handed back the menu, "I'll have the 'Whisper of the Fairy' with a cup of Earl Grey. Inoue?"

"Eto…I'll take the 'Temptation of the Witch'. Can you recommend a tea with that?"

The waitress smiled, "I would recommend the keemun."

"Ja, I'll have that. Arigatou."

The girl bowed, "I'll be back shortly with your order."

Rukia leaned forward, resting her head on the perch her interlinked fingers, as she asked, "So how do you feel after finishing your first month at university."

Orihime was fiddling with her straw, pushing the ice cubes around in her glass as she replied, "It's more challenging than high school but I'm having a lot of fun! There's always so much to do and I've got a really nice class. Plus the teacher's are really helpful too though some of them are little scary with how much work they give!"

Rukia grinned in amusement as she recalled her own first year, "It does take some getting used to with the workload but by the end of your first year, you get used to the deadlines and the work. Though you never really can get used to the work that Yamamoto-sensei throws at you."

The other girl laughed slightly, "Is that so? It's been four weeks and he's given us only two assignments so far."

Rukia shook her head with a sigh, "Then maybe he just hated our class! Within the first month we had to go through two reports, five quizzes and an oral examination."

They paused as the waitress returned with their orders. She quickly scampered away as the manager called out, "Himura-san, the order for table nine is ready!" Orihime eyed the generous slice of blackberry and strawberry pie on her plate before picking up her fork. Delicately she cut a small piece of the pie off and slid it on the fork before popping it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a delighted moan as the pie crust melted delicately in her mouth.

She quickly cut off another piece, making sure that the decorative cream and fruit didn't slip off as she closed her mouth over the fork. She couldn't help the small, delighted purr she let out as the sour flavor rolled over her taste buds. She picked up the delicate china cup with both hands before taking a small sip of the tea, immediately delighted at how the tea's flavor complimented the flavor of the pie.

Rukia watched the younger girl very visibly enjoy the pastry in front of her and wondered if she should take the blunt approach or maybe for go something for subtle. Although subtlety wasn't her strong point, she sensed that the blunt approach wouldn't really get the desired result. Or maybe if she asked in a really gentle manner…that may coax an answer out of her…

'_Oh what the hell! I don't have anything to lose anyways!'_ Rukia placed her cup of tea back in its plate before asking, "Inoue…"

The girl looked up, her fork hovering over the pie, "Hai?"

Rukia was wishing fervently at that moment that she had more girl friends because then she would have a better idea of how to go about this conversation. All of her knowledge about such conversations and topics came from shoujo manga and they didn't really count as the most accurate source of information. Rukia stumbled over her words, "I was wondering….actually there is something that I wanted…to ask you…"

Orihime smiled, "You can ask anything Kuchiki-san."

"Errr…well…." Rukia wondered what was the best way to put forward the next question without sounding too rude. _'No place like the beginning to start from I guess…' _"It's more or less about when we went out last time. For karaoke."

Orihime nodded enthusiastically as she picked up her tea cup, "That was so much fun! But what did you want to ask about that?"

"Ah well…I remember Toki coming in and taking your bag saying that he'd take you home. But then the next day I heard that he got admitted in the hospital because he got beaten up really bad. And I wa-"

She jumped slightly at the loud clinking sound as Orihime put her teacup back on the plate with more force than she meant, "He was admitted to the hospital?! Is he alright?"

"Depends on your definition of the term really." Rukia counted off his injuries on her fingers one by one, "Around 10 stitches, a few broken ribs, a sprained wrist and ankle and lots and lots of amazing bruises on his back and torso. Someone beat him up and good." _'And I have a good idea who did it either but its still just speculation on my part…'_

Orihime's expression was filled with worry as she asked, "So he'll be alright?"

"Nothing a short stay in the hospital won't fix."

Orihime placed a hand over her chest and let out a relived sigh, "Thank goodness!"

"Actually that's what I wanted to ask you…."

"Eh? About Toki-san?"

Rukia nodded as she slowly cut off a small piece of the pie. However, she placed her fork back on the plate and looked up at Orihime, "Do you remember what happened that day? After we got to the karaoke place?"

Orihime tapped her finger against the cup handle as she spoke slowly, "I remember us getting there. And then Keigo-kun sung the first song. I think it was…a song from Gundam. And then Renji-san ordered the first round of drinks. Shuuhei-kun came and…"

Rukia fought back her impatience as the girl continued with her recollection. Maybe she should have specified that she didn't want _that_ much detail. Rukia sipped at her tea as Orihime spoke her but noticed that her voice was getting more and more hesitant and for some odd reason, a light flush was crawling up her cheeks.

"Then someone ordered the sake and I remember drinking that. I remember talking with Toki-san after that….."

"I think Ichigo said something like you didn't remember what happened that day. It happens when you drink too much. But how much do you not remember?"

Now her face was completely red as she tried to hide behind her tea cup. Rukia raised an eyebrow, eyeing the younger girl carefully as she refused to meet her glance. _'Oh ho~'_ "Inoue…don't tell me that you lied to Ichigo about that…"

Rukia had to stop herself from leaning over and stopping the girl as she frantically shook her head from side to side. Her response was hurried, her words tripping over each other as she explained frantically, "No, I didn't lie! I really didn't recall anything the when Kurosaki-san called me the next day! But it was after a few days that I recalled what happened and it was just so embarrassing the way that I acted around Kurosaki-san when he took me back home that I didn't eep!" Her hands immediately covered her mouth, her grey eyes filled with panic.

Rukia's jaw dropped, "_Ichigo _took you back? Then what about Toki?"

Orihime kept her hands over her mouth before slowly lowering them back into her lap, her gaze falling with them. She twisted the stiff material of the napkin in her hands as she spoke softly, "I'm…not completely sure why but…..Kurosaki-san he…he threatened Toki-san. He…he pushed Toki-san away from me so I couldn't hear what they were talking about but Kurosaki-san seemed really angry. Next thing I remember is Kurosaki-san taking me into an empty booth and telling me to wait there for him…"

Her gaze suddenly darted up, her voice filled with worry as she requested, "Please don't tell him that I told you that! It wasn't his fault and I'm sure that he must have had his reasons to behave the way that he did! He was only looking out for me! And…"

Rukia cut her off gently, "Don't worry Inoue. I won't tell him."_ 'And I wonder if I should tell you what kind of man Ichigo saved you from…'_

The other girl was worrying her lower lip between her teeth as Rukia asked, "What happened then? When did he come back?"

Orihime pushed the strawberry off its creamy perch with her fork as she replied, "I don't know but after he came back, he just helped me back home."

"Is that all?" Rukia watched the girl's cheeks turn red again. She was picking the fruit out from the remaining pie as she made sure not to meet the older girls skeptical gaze. _'I can't possibly tell her that I….that I said such things to Kurosaki-san…I just can't. To think that I said…'_

As she remembered her behavior and words, she couldn't stop an embarrassed moan from spilling out of her as she covered her face with her hands. _'I don't how I'll be able to face him from now on!'_ "Err…Inoue?"

She peeked at Rukia through her fingers, meeting her concerned gaze. Rukia was giving her a bemused look as she tried to console the long haired girl "It couldn't have been _that_ bad."

The second sound of despair from the long haired girl had Rukia's curiosity gnawing away at her patience as she wondered what could have happened. She leaned forward and spoke in a gentle tone, "Inoue. You can tell me. I promise I won't ever tell Ichigo what you told me." Rukia kept her crossed fingers below the table as she completed the promise mentally, _'At least until I find a good enough chance to tease him about it.'_

Orihime slowly nodded, her eyes coming up to meet hers before they dropped down to her plate as she began in a low tone, "After Kurosaki-san came back, he helped me up and he took me back to my apartment. On the way I emm…." She nervously pressed her lips together before mumbling to her tea cup, "I kept singing some silly songs and challenged Kurosaki-san to a race."

Rukia blinked, "That's not so bad. One time, Renji and Hisagi got so drunk that they wound up in a bar full of drag queens. And they dressed those two up as well." Rukia smirked at the memory, "Needless to say, those two never drank as much again. I've even got pictures of the two." Rukia picked up her purse and rummaged through it in search of her cell phone as she continued, "Though I think loose curls would have suited Hisagi better. The straight hair doesn't do anything with that nose of his. Ah. Here we go. Look."

Rukia handed over her phone to the slack jawed red head. Orihime stared in shock at the picture of Renji and Suuhei dressed up like women, complete with glittery make up and stylish wigs. As she went through the pictures, Rukia speared the last piece of her pie before stating, "So whatever you did couldn't possibly top what these two did."

Orihime couldn't help but let out a small giggle of agreement as she handed back the white cell phone. But her voice was still meek and embarrassed as she spoke, "But I doubt that they did what I did…"

"How bad could it have been?"

Rukia picked up her tea cup and took a sip as Orihime mumbled beneath her breath. She blinked and asked, "Say that again?"

"I…I told him that he……" her voice dropped again as her face turned dark red. Rukia waited for a moment before taking a long sip of her tea. Just then Orihime blurted out, "I told him that…thathehasanicebutt!"

Rukia barely managed to stop herself from doing a spit take as the sentence filtered into her brain. Instead she choked on the warm liquid as some of it went down the wrong tube. She coughed as she hurriedly placed the cup back into its blue plate and tried to get her breathing back under control. She waved to Orihime to sit down as she managed to catch her breath.

Rukia looked up, meeting concerned and worried mercury eyes as she asked in a choked voice, "You told Ichigo that he has a nice butt while you were drunk?"

The younger girl miserably nodded before her head snapped up at the chuckles coming from the other end of the table. She cried out, "Kuchiki-san! That's so mean!" Rukia hastily stifled her chuckles as she saw the tears fill up the younger girls eyes, "Gomen gomen Inoue! I'm not laughing at you. I'm just picturing Ichigo's face when you must have said that. Oh God I wish I could have been there!"

Orihime pouted as the Rukia went into a fresh round of chuckles, "It isn't funny at all Kuchiki-san! I can't even look at him in the end now. Oh God…." She buried her still red face back in her hands. "I don't even want to guess how he thinks of me now!"

Rukia reached over the table and gently pulled one of her hands into hers as she spoke, "He won't think anything badly about you. He's not that type of guy. If anything, he'll be more embarrassed about it than you."

Her grey eyes were swimming in relief and hope as she spoke slowly with growing confidence, "That is true…Kurosaki-san isn't that kind of person." Rukia smiled with slight amusement as the long haired girl let out an audible sigh of relief before picking up her tea cup. The little devil in her just couldn't resist the temptation of teasing the younger girl...and it was just a little bit as she reasoned with her super ego.

Rukia leaned forward with a wicked smirk on her lips, "So you think he's got a nice butt?"

Warm tea sloshed over the rim and onto the table as Orihime all but slammed her cup back to its original location before letting out an anguished, "Kuchiki-san!"

"So you do?"

Orihime's gaze was darting around her as though she was expecting everyone else in the café to be listening to their conversation. Her cheeks were dark red as she kept her gaze away from Rukia's amused eyes. _'She's just too much fun to tease like this.'_ Orihime's voice was barely above a whisper as she replied, "Isn't it inappropriate to talk about someone like this behind their back?"

Rukia raised an eyebrow, "But given that you've already said that to his face, I don't see the harm in it."

'_Oops. Shouldn't have reminded her of that…'_ Rukia mentally smacked her forehead as Orihime promptly let out a small moan of embarrassment and dropped her head into her arms on the table. Sighing as she lightly scratched her cheek, Rukia spoke, "Ne Orihime…there's nothing wrong with thinking like that you know."

Teary gray eyes peeked up at her, followed by a hesitant, "Its not?"

"Of course not. I mean, he's a fairly attractive guy once you get past his scowl, his short fuse, his tendency to jump before looking, his violent tendencies….actually, he's _just_ got a great physique. He's….a bit of a lost cause on the personality aspect."

Rukia blinked in surprise as the gentle girl in front of her fidgeted slightly as though she disagreed with the previous statement. As though the girl had sensed the older girl's surprise, Orihime spoke, "I don't think he's _that_ bad….and his scowl is kind of…", a slightly distant look came into her eyes before she continued, "…cute I think. He makes the funniest faces actually."

Rukia fought the urge to grab the girl and hug her in delight as Orihime giggled slightly behind her arms. _'FINALLY a girl who likes that idiot! Aaah but wait…he did say that he's totally not interested in having a relationship…shit…this could get messy for her…but first…'_

"Ne Inoue…"

"Hai?" Bright, innocent eyes met hers and for a moment, Rukia crossed her fingers beneath the table, hoping that she would get an affirmative on the question she was going to ask next.

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**What EVER will Rukia ask Hime? And what will Hime's reply be? Does anyone else want to have a slice of 'Temptation of the Witch'? Why am I asking these questions?**

**If there was one thing that I really really wanted to do in this chapter, it was adding in Himura Ryou. Cause I LOVE Shitsuji-sama no Okiniiri and Ryou. She's my kind of heroine! :D Though hurry up and realize that you like Hakuo already…please? I'll give you some grilled fish and pickled plums…anyways...****go read Shitsuji-sama no Okiniiri. I promise you that if you like shoujo manga and butlers (and highschool), you are gonna LOVE this manga :D**

**Please click the little blue button and help replenish the motivation of the writer! :D **


	7. First Aid

**A little something that I hope will help with your Monday blues.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Bleach. But if it were a publically traded organization, you can bet yer ass that I'd have some stocks in it! :D**

**This chapter, was just beta-ed and not given a test trial. So, sorry for holding out on you copper! **

**I've got a tough two weeks coming up so I dunno when the next chapter'll be complete, so please be patient with me dear readers! And wish me luck for my mid terms!**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 7 ~**

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Rarely known fact about Kurosaki Ichigo: when he was really really pissed off about something, he would smile. Or at least attempted to smile… _'Well, you really couldn't call it a smile…'_ Renji thought to himself as he watched his classmate grin in a manner that reminded Renji of a cheetah baring its teeth right before it would pounce on a defenseless deer. _'It looks more like he's ready to bite someone's head off…'_

Renji turned his head to look at his girlfriend who had a very self-satisfied air about her as she stood beside her. _'I hope Ichigo doesn't find out that she's behind this…'_

Ichigo was barely managing to keep his embarrassment turned nervousness turned irritation in-check as he quickly explained to the club members that they now had a second manager for the club. He knew on a rational level that he was being an ass but he just didn't know how to behave around the younger girl at the moment.

"So I'll let her introduce herself."

He turned to his right and gestured with his hand to the auburn haired girl. She bowed at her waist, "My name is Inoue Orihime. Yoroshiku oneigaishimasu!"

Ichigo waited for a moment as she straightened up, wondering if she would say anything else but she demurely took a step back, her hands clasped in front of her. Ichigo cleared his throat, "Alright then. Let's get started."

Ichigo tried his best to not pay attention to the newest addition to their club but it was kind of hard to miss a red head trotting to and fro, carrying mato or arrows from one corner to another within such a small space. A small part of him felt guilty whenever he would turn away sharply to avoid meeting her gaze. And right after, a voice in his head (which sounded a lot like his mother) would scold him for being so childish. And that scolding just kept increasing as the day wore on and that had wore him out.

Given his level of concentration, he ought to have known better than to have practiced. Doing kyudo with a lack of focus only wound up with bad results. He had waited until everyone had left and then proceeded to practice by his lonesome. He had forgotten about Orihime until she came out of the changing room in her casual clothing. She had noticed him practicing and quietly asked if she could watch him.

Feeling guilty over the way he had behaved around her, he had muttered an affirmative before turning back to face the far target. But knowing that she was watching made him not fully pay attention. So he really had no one else to blame but himself when the bow string had snapped under too much pressure and had whiplashed against his cheek.

Ichigo rubbed the heel of his palm against the bridge of his nose as he sighed. _'I don't have the energy to deal with this.'_ he thought wearily as he leaned back in his chair. He let out a tired sigh as he focused on the feel of his throbbing palms. He had forced himself to practice more than usual and now his hands were killing him, as well as his cheek.

He applied a little pressure on his aching cheek, wincing at the pain and hoping that the bleeding had stopped. He looked up as the door was slammed open and closed by a slightly over enthusiastic and a little more than worried Orihime.

He gingerly removed the bloodied handkerchief off his injured cheek as she placed the first aid box on the table in front of him. He watched as she opened the box and rummaged through it for the disinfectant and cotton balls. He held out his hand as she opened the bottle and started to tip it over the dry cotton ball.

"Hand it over."

"Eh?"

He pointed towards the bottle, "I can patch myself up just fine. I don't need your help for it." _'. . . Shit.'_

Her crest fallen expression made him want to give himself a swift kick in the head. She fought back the tears that she knew were coming as she slowly screwed the top back onto the white disinfectant bottle. It had been hard enough for her to gather up her courage to come here. Even after all of Rukia's pep talks, advice and constant 'Don't worry! I'll help you out!' support, she hadn't feel that she would be able to get through this. Orihime wondered if Rukia really thought that this would work….

_**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**_

"_Ne Inoue…"_

"_Hai?"_

"_I hope I don't come off as being too forward but…do you like Ichigo?"_

"_Eeeeeh!?" She could feel the heat crawl up her neck and to her face as she waved a hand in denial, "That's impossible! I can't like Kurosaki-san! I mean, he is quite an amazing pe- I mean, admirable person who is quite strong and kind and I…I really…respect...yes! I really well and truly respect him!"_

_Her gaze dropped down to stare at the crumbs left on her plate as she continued, her voice wobbling as a slight ache throbbed in her chest. "I…I'm just his kouhai and he just…sees me like a little sister. Having such a feeling towards him….its just…."_

_Memories of their times together came and muddled together in her head like a badly made collage. Like the times when he would pat her on the head when she would get something right and the warmth she'd feel from his hand. And when she had fallen in his lap on the ferris wheel and how he had felt underneath her. And then when he had pulled her closer in the purikura booth… the heat and weight of his arm around her shoulders….his gentle voice and warm hand as he ruffled her hair while congratulating her for getting into the university. All the little things that he had done......and in turn, the way that she had felt during those times…_

"…_its just not…its out of the question…."_

_She remembered how she had felt when she had overheard him speak of her. She had felt…crushed. A small voice quietly suggested that perhaps the reason why she felt crushed was because she liked him…and that he was dismissing her in such a manner. Orihime shook her head, trying to shake those thoughts out of her head but the voice only seemed to get louder in her head. It reminded her of how she had felt after she had remembered how Ichigo had saved her from Toki… feeling as though she had downed a mug of warm, pure chocolate (with perhaps a slight hint of alcohol because she had felt a bit light on her feet). She recalled how hard and how fast her heart had been beating when they had taken the purikura together and at that time, she had attributed her fast heartbeat to the fact that she was that close to a man. _

'But then what about now? Every time you see him, your throat closes up. And whenever your eyes meet, your heart gets that doki-doki feeling. And whenever he touches you, you feel as though his warmth is burning you.' _She shook her head again, but weakly as the pieces started to fall into place. All her little reactions that she had attributed to other factors, suddenly seemed to make much more sense if she took this new factor into consideration._

"_Inoue…"_

_Her startled eyes jumped up to meet Rukia's – her gentle gaze was kind as she spoke, "You really do like him don't you?"_

_Orihime was surprised at the sudden tears that came to her eyes and lowered her head, letting the tears fall on her dark skirt in two darkening circles before she nodded hesitantly. She took a deep, shaky breath in an effort to steady herself but her voice was trembling as she spoke, "I…think…I do like Kurosaki-san…"_

_**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**_

A bit miserably she placed the bottle in front of him as she wondered how she was supposed to get him to even notice her when he seemed determined to avoid her. _'And I still have to apologize for what happened that day too.'_

"Don't…"

She looked up at him as his tight voice cut through the uncomfortable silence. He had a light blush covering his cheeks as he stared away at the lockers.

"Don't…?" she repeated cautiously, wondering if she had maybe missed something he had said.

"Don't make that face…"

For the first time in the day, his hazel eyes turned towards hers and held her gaze. _'Again…my heart feels as though it's running on a Stairs Master!' _

She nervously plucked at the soaked cotton ball in her hands as she hoped that she wasn't blushing too darkly. He ran a hand through his hair before muttered, his blush becoming darker as he spoke haltingly, "I shouldn't have said it like that…It was my bad." She swallowed thickly, shaking her head slightly as she replied back, "No, it was my fault as well. I was being conceited and I…" She jumped loudly as Ichigo dragged his chair around to face her, cutting her off mid-sentence with the loud metallic screech. He gave her a look that plainly said that he didn't want to hear her apologizing before he turned his cheek towards her silently and waited before he asked, "Do you plan on using that cotton ball or you just gonna turn it into fluff?"

"Eh? Oh!" She glanced down at the shrinking cotton ball in her hands before letting out a slightly nervous laugh, "Sorry, I'll just…"

She dropped the wet cotton ball into the nearby waste basket and for a moment stood there facing the wall. She slowly turned around, half expecting Ichigo to be gently but clumsily disinfecting his wound. Instead she was surprised to see him tapping his fingers against the desk. His glance shifted towards her and she wondered if she should ask if she could help him.

Ichigo sighed as he watched her eye him and then the first-aid box with a mix of trepidation and hesitation. He picked up the bottle and noted that her slightly hopeful expression immediately crumpled. _'I'm such a f*cking softie'_, he couldn't help but tiredly berate himself as he tossed the small bottle at her.

She panicked slightly as she tried to catch the suddenly flying object, letting out a alarmed squeak as the bottle bounced off her one hand and then the other before being caught. She tightly grasped the bottle with both hands as she looked at him in surprise. _'Does he want me too…'_

Ichigo was re-opening the first aid box and plucked out the tweezers before holding them out towards her. As he impatiently waved it at her, gesturing for her to take the instrument from his hands, she quickly stepped forward. The silence between them this time was not as stifling as before but not exactly comfortable either. She hoped that he didn't notice the slight trembling in her hands as she let the cotton ball absorb the liquid before capping the bottle.

Murmuring a quiet apology, she leaned forward to gently dab at the cut on his cheek. Ichigo grimaced and sucked in his breath quickly at the sharp throb of pain. Underneath the medicinal smell of the disinfectant, he could clearly make out a sweet, floral scent. Unable to place the scent but liking it, he took in a deeper breath.

'_Jasmine? No…not sweet enough……its not any musk either. It's not lavender either. I'd be able to tell if it was lavender given that Rukia loves wearing that scent. It smells a little like...like a rose maybe. And something else…'_

"Am I hurting you?"

Her soft voice made him start out of his reverie. He looked up into her big worried eyes before murmuring back, "Na. I was just…thinking."

"Oh."

The soft breathy way she said that tugged at something in him. Her tone was soft and hesitant, as though she was hesitant to disturb him and their surroundings. He turned his face upwards so he could gaze at her as she went about her task of cleaning up the cut. He firmly made his eyes stay on her face, refusing to even gaze at her bared neck because then he was afraid his gaze would drift south.

She was biting her lower lip in concentration, her brows furrowed as she kept her gaze on her fingers. The corner of his mouth twitched at the sight. Noticing the slight movement, Orihime stopped to look at him. His direct perusal made a light pink tone come to her cheeks before she hurriedly shifted away from in front of him. With half-lidded eyes, he turned around slightly to watch her as she searched for a new cotton ball, placing the soiled piece next to the aid box.

"I'm sorry."

He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering at her sudden soft apology. "What for?"

"For surprising you like this." He watched her hands as she placed the bottle back into the first aid box. Idly he noted that sometimes, her simplest hand gestures were filled with a grace that was odd to see given her usually clumsy habits. Her fingers were pushing aside bottles and medicines as they rummaged around. She spoke on, "I should have told you that I was going to be applying for the manager's position. It was rude of me to just show up like I did."

Distractedly he replied, "I was surprised sure but nothing to apologize over. It's alright."

Her fingers suddenly stopped for a moment. He watched as her index finger run over the edges of the white box as she said, "And…also…thank you. For that day.

"That day?" His eyes were slowly moving up her hands, lingering on her slim wrists as she picked up the newly soaked cotton piece and moved once more to stand in front of him. A comfortable haze seemed to have fallen on his mind as he steadily gazed at her as she finished cleaning up his cut.

"When we went out for karaoke." Her hands were trembling harder now and her heart beating heavily against her chest as he watched her with half-closed eyes. Her voice was still soft but quivered slightly as she spoke. "You helped me so much that day and I never thanked you for it."

"It was nothing." The low tone of his voice made her feel a part of her melt into a gooey sticky mess. She swallowed thickly before shaking her head, "No. You…you saved me from Toki-san." Orihime couldn't forget the stark fear that had gone through her when Rukia had told her about Toki and then crippling relief and understanding that had filled her immediately afterwards. She had felt so thankful towards the older man, tears filling her eyes and pattering down on her hands with such speed that Rukia was left fretting around her like a mother hen.

"You walked me back home." Ichigo felt as though he was in the middle of a steamed up bathroom, his mind felt so hazy and relaxed as he watched her flush slowly go down her neck as she stumbled over her words. A small sleepy voice reminded him that he should pay more attention to her words rather than wonder how far her blush would travel. "You also put up with my…drunken behavior while walking me back…You had to pick me up when…I was so heavy…and then the way I was behaving towards you after you took me back home…I was so…forward and…it was just…"

Her flush travelled down her shirt collar. A tad regrettably, he turned his gaze back up to find her worrying her lower lip between her teeth. How we wanted to…_'Wait….what did she just say?' _ He blinked owlishly up at her, some of the fog lifting from his brain as he hesitantly asked, "Don't tell me…you…remember what happened?"

The miserable nod of her head made him wish that he could just slip into the nearby cabinet and not come out to face the girl for the rest of his natural life. He cleared his throat before speaking, "I thought you said that you didn't remember what had happened."

She placed the tweezers back into the white box and the second soiled cotton ball next to the first as she spoke, "I...slowly recalled everything…it was after a few days…" Her big grey eyes turned to look into his, filled with an endearing mixture of worry, embarrassment and a smidgen of panic as she hastily added, "I know that I should have told you earlier than I remembered everything but…it was so hard to get in touch with you. And I tried coming early for a few days in the hopes of finding you but…"

A pang of guilt went through Ichigo at that line because he had more or less being trying to avoid meeting her after that day. He fought back the urge to rub the back of his neck (a bad tell-tale sign of his whenever he was feeling bad about something he had done) as he spoke, "I believe you. And it's already forgiven. It…wasn't really your fault…what happened."

He mentally slapped himself, willing the haze in his head to float away as he reminded himself that he was not supposed to be thinking about this girl in a romantic notion. He reminded himself of his vow and this time, firmly told himself to just stare at the wall behind her rather than to look at her face.

Orihime noted the tense muscles of his neck and the sudden clenching of his jaw and felt a stab of hurt go through her. _'He's still feel uncomfortable about what I did…Baka Orihime. Of course he would be feeling that way! No male would like it if a woman acts so forwardly and aggressively towards him!' _Slowly and gingerly she placed the band-aid over his cut, running her fingers gently over the material to ensure that there were no air pockets left.

" I'm sorry." _'Why does she always keep apologizing to me?'_ Ichigo squashed down that exasperated voice in his head as he glanced up at her and then back at the wall. "I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable like this." _'Yeah, you do have a talent for getting under my skin in a way no one else does'_ Ichigo wondered why his brain suddenly gotten so vocal when it came to her.

"I just…I just wanted to be helpful." The sudden hitch in her voice made his heart sink as he recognized that sound. _'Ah crap.'_ Sure enough, tears were swimming in her eyes as she stood before him with a bowed head. He quickly stood up as she took a step backwards, one hand raised to cover her eyes as she spoke. Her wobbly voice made his throat constrict in a manner that was just…painful. "I'm so stupid. I'm always making trouble for you. I can never seem to get things done right."

"Inoue..." A dull ache. That was the best way to describe the feeling in his heart as he watched two tear streams slip down her cheeks. Her fingers quickly moved over her cheeks, wiping away the tear trails and took a deep steadying breath, tightly closing her eyes as she did so. Ichigo took a step forward, unsure as to what he could say that would make her stop crying.

"I'm such an idiot."

"Inoue…" Slowly she looked up at him. His voice was soft and his gaze gentle as he spoke, "I've never thought of you like that."

She kept gazing up at him, her eyes searching his as they stood there. Her heart suddenly jumped to life as his hand came to rest on her cheek. _'His hands are so big….and cool',_ she couldn't help but note as she closed her eyes to relish the slightly rough touch against her hot cheeks. She placed her hand over his, lethargically opening her eyes as his fingertips stroked her cheek.

She felt so warm and cozy, as though she was nestled underneath a kotatsu in winter. She felt dizzy as though she had gone through thirty minutes of intense spinning around on tea-cup ride. She could hear her heart pounding away and the sound of it echoed in her ears. She tilted her head up as he pressed his other hand to her chin before letting his fingers trace the delicate line of her jaw. She shivered underneath his touch and swallowed.

He couldn't think anything beyond the fact of how attractive…how charming and how utterly…appealing she looked with that faint blush on her cheeks and her wide eyes looking up at him with that trusting, almost loving expression. A shot of heat went through him as her pink tongue slipped out to wet her lips.

Cupping her face with both hands, he leaned in slowly towards her. _'Again…that stupid voice is yelling at me….but……what's it saying? It sounds so……fuzzy…like someone talking in another room….why is it yelling again?'_ He kept his eyes locked with her hers as came in closer, her grey depths filled with a haze as her eyelids slowly, oh so slowly began to go down. Hazily, she wondered, _'What…is he…'_

He gently pressed the side of his nose against hers, rubbing it gently in an Eskimo kiss before he tilted her head upwards with a gentle pressure. Her pink lips were already parted and glistening wet with her saliva as she let out a shaky breath against his lips. _'What……is that voice saying….? Why….' _The last sliver of grey disappeared beneath thick lashes, making his thoughts scatter away like leaves in a strong autumn wind.

He closed his eyes. Parting his lips, he leaned in the final millimeter.

It was like free falling without a parachute. It was like being stuck on a merry-go-round on full speed without any safety pole to hold on to. It was like eating the most decadent chocolate dessert that went straight to your head. It was like eating too much sugar, without the headache that came with it. It was like standing on the edge of a multistory building without any railing and a hard wind pressing against your back. It was like pressing your lips against the most delicately spun cotton candy. It was hot. It was gentle. It was dizzying. It was chaste. It was tender. It was sweet. It was….nothing like he had felt before.

He pulled away slowly, a soft *chupon* sound coming from their parting lips before he pressed their lips together again in a just as gentle and soft kiss. Her hands came to rest on his chest, burning against his skin as though she had pressed an iron brand on his skin rather than her small hands. His head was spinning wildly and he felt as though he was going to fall over any second but he was loathe to give up the warm and soft feel of her lips against his.

'_So…soft.'_ She let her fingers sink into the cloth of his kyudo uniform, fisting it tightly as he came back again and again for such tender kisses that she felt like crying. She had never imagined that those thin scowling lips of his would be so soft and gentle against hers. The crisp smell of the disinfectant was more pronounced now and she let out a shaky breath as he pulled away before pressing a kiss at the corner of her mouth.

He gazed down at her face. A deep flush covered her nose and cheeks. Her thick eyelashes resting against her pink cheeks. Her lips were swollen and a deeper pink in color. His fingers slowly went from her cheeks to her neck, lightly tracing swirling patterns as they drifted down. Realizing that he had pulled away, she slowly cracked open her eyes – feeling as though she had just woken up from a hundred year slumber. _'Ah…maybe this is what Snow White or Sleeping Beauty felt like….'_

His breath caught in his throat as her stormy grey eyes slowly fluttered open. They were dark and filled with a murky heat that made him want to dive down and give her a deeper kiss. Intent on following that thought, he moved forward towards her…

The sound of someone deliberately and _loudly _clearing their throat made his eyes pop open in confusion. Her eyes reflected the same confusion before both of them turned towards the doorway to find Byakuya standing in the doorway, cool as cucumber as though he was perfectly used to walking in on two people kissing.

"I hope I'm not interrupting but I need to talk to your Kurosaki."

That seemed to push Orihime out of her daze and he let out an embarrassed squeak, "Please excuse me!" before all but running out of the room. Byakuya watched the long haired girl scramble out the club room, wincing slightly at the loud slamming that signaled her departure from the building. He turned his face back towards the club vice president.

"I didn't know that there was a girl who held your interests in that manner."

Ichigo fell back into the nearby seat, _'Fuck…my knees feel like jelly…'_ He kept his eyes trained on the door way as he muttered, "Neither did I…"

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**Feel free to scream in agony at Byakuya's bad timing. **

**Words can't fully express my happiness at what I've written in this chapter. I don't think I've ever written a better kiss description XD (Let me stay in my happy bubble please! Don't pop it!)**

**Random note: I think Seikon no Qwaser ain't half bad if you give it a chance! And I adore Sasha! He reminds me so much of Hitsugaya (which explains why I like him too :P) Add up Mafuyu x Sasha in my ever growing list of OTP's too.**

**Reviews are always squealed over :)  
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	8. Realization

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE LAST CHAPTER!**

**Y' know that last chapter…with the near sex in the random club room and an apparent sexual relationship between Ichigo and Rukia? It was ****all ****lies****. My idea of an April Fools joke ;P *runs away cackling madly with her cape fluttering behind her* **

**And I've realized that i've got a lotta perverts reading this…then again with an M rating, why am I surprised at that? Anyhoooows, I was plenty surprised at the initial reviews...not the hellfire and brimestones that I was expecting. And then came **_**Blitch**_**…oooh how I wanted to kiss you when I read your review! XD But wrong guess sorry, it wasn't even a wet dream, just my idea of a bad joke XD **

_**Amar**_**, you need to work on your hating skillz cause you sound more trippy than anything *rofflesnorts* XD **_**Hibari08**_**, yeah I don't blame you…cause I wrote it in like 40 minutes without really thinking XD **_**x3Sn0w**_**, none taken really XD **

**While I know many of you may want to kill me for what I posted yesterday, I'm sorry but you wont find me a bit repentant over it. I got the idea past 2 in the morning and I couldn't resist **_**not**_** doing it. So Yeah…end of story, I had a blast doing it. I'm an evil little fangirl who gets her kicks from teasing people XD **

**But this is the real chapter eight and I hope you all like it. No, no horrible surprises here. And much love to _copper_ for being my 'ideas bouncing' board and _Thail_ for pointing out a very obvious plot hole XD See, that's why she's an awesome Beta! :D**

**Disclaimer : Yeah sure…I own bleach. A bottle of Robin blue bleach! :D**

**So now, back to your regularly scheduled 'Senpai to Kouhai', now without any bad jokes from the author!**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 8 ~**

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Sora eyed his younger sister discreetly over the can of beer as she plucked the tofu out from the miso soup. Ever since she had returned home from university, she had been…slightly out of sorts. For starters, she had all but ran into her room when she had returned (hurriedly stammering a return greeting to her brother with an extremely _extremely _red face). Feeling worried, he had gone to her room and while standing outside, managed to hear a most peculiar sound (he had asked her if everything was alright and she had replied back that there were giggling, waltzing kittens in her stomach that made that voice. But he personally thought that the sound had sounded more like a happy squeal than a kitten…)

He had left when the sound hadn't repeated itself, busying himself with making dinner for the two of them. He had been relieved to see her acting more like her usual self. She was puttering around the table, setting the plates and chopsticks quickly before sitting down in her place. She had clapped her hands in delight when she caught sight of the chicken wings and prawn tempura and thanked him like always.

He followed her earnest, "Itadakimasu" with a quieter echo before picking up the rice bowl. She was humming as she stirred the natto with her chop sticks and that was when he asked, "So how was your day? Didn't you start today as the manager of the kyudo club?"

Her hands stopped in their task for a split second before returning _too_ enthusiastically at the stirring as she laughed, "It was nice. Everyone was so kind and helpful. I know I'm going to have a lot of fun there with everyone."

Sora eyed the natto that was only a few turns away from turning into a mushy substance. "Ahan…So how's Kurosaki doing?"

_That_ made her drop the natto back on the table as her cheeks turned red as she nervously laughed, "Oh he's well. Quite well. He was very, very good when I saw him. Very good indeed. He was as healthy as a snuffleupaggus in the middle of the candy harvesting season! All purple cheeks and wide grins whilst he bounces around the countryside!"

If that wasn't a bit of an over blown reaction to an innocent question, Sora didn't know one. And it only served to gnaw away at the doubts that had long been drifting about in his mind. He had suspected from before that perhaps Orihime had started to develop feelings for his kouhai. _'Not there's anything wrong in that. I just don't want her to…get…hurt…'_ His thoughts came to a slow halt as he watched her pour a liberal amount of mayonnaise over her salad before munching away at the green leaves.

'_What the…….'_

He watched as she dipped the tempura in the dipping sauce before slathering it with ketchup and packing it away. _'Now I _know _that __something__ happened.'_

"Err…Orihime."

She paused, a tempura piece hovering over the small dipping bowl as she looked up at him. _'Now that I think about it…she does look a little….out of it. Like she's not really paying attention.'_ "Not that I mind but….you do realize that you put mayonnaise over the salad right?"

Her gaze suddenly came into focus, making him wonder why he hadn't noticed her distant gaze before. He watched with mounting apprehension as she eyed the creamy salad before hesitantly saying, "Yes I do…"

Sora raised an eyebrow, _'Like I'm gonna believe you when you use _that _tone.'_ "So then, you don't want to have wasabi and red bean paste with your meal today?"

Orihime blinked in surprise at the question before shaking her head, "Not today onii-chan. I'd rather have it like this."

" . . . . . . ." Sora eyed his little sister carefully before he put his chopsticks on the table and declaring firmly, "I'm calling the doctor."

"Eh?!" Rice and chopsticks hovered in the air before her mouth momentarily before Sora sat down beside her and pressed one hand to her forehead. "Wha-? Onii-chan! I'm not sick!"

"But you just refused your favorite red bean paste! With _tempura_!"

She pouted at him, "Just because I refused it once doesn't mean I'm ill though."

Sora gave her a dead pan look before speaking, "You're the one who puts red bean paste on _everything_. Toast, noodles, tempura, udon, teriyaki…." He smiled slightly at the embarrassed flush on her cheeks before continuing, "So I'm bound to get a little worried when you don't want to have your favorite food."

She cleared her throat before picked up the miso soup, "I'm perfectly capable of having a meal without my favorite foods. I _am_ an adult now."

Sora's lips twitched as she took a deep sip of the light brown broth before placing the bowl back down. He gently patted her head and with a touch of regret as he replied, "Yeah…you're growing up so fast."

Her large grey eyes met his, wordlessly questioning his sudden bout of melancholy. He patted her head once more before shifting to return to his place. "But no matter how fast you grow up……you'll _always_ be my little Hime. Even when you get married….I'll still be thinking of you as the little girl you used to be…." A small smile came to his lips as he reminisced over the past, "I still remember your first day of elementary school….what was it…Yomogi Nursery School right? You were crying so much….huh….time passes by so fast…."

"Onii-chan…."

He kept his eyes on the rice bowl in front of him. He couldn't fully settle the fact with himself that Orihime was growing up and was attracted to someone. She still seemed too young to him. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling guilty for making judgments about a boy who was a genuinely nice man. But he had practically raised her ever since she had learnt to walk and he felt slightly resentful that he would have to share her with another man.

He was surprised to feel her slim arms go around his shoulders as she hugged him from behind. "Don't worry onii-chan. No matter what happens, no matter who I like, I'll always be your little sister."

Sora smiled at her comforting words, placing one hand over her hands. He smiled as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder and placed one hand on her head. Although he enjoyed the show of affection from her, he was not able to resist the chance to tease her a little bit. "It's been more than a month already since you've started going to university. Find anyone who you like?"

Her arms immediately slipped back and he twisted around to look at her. Her mouth had dropped open and the red hue of her face gave him all the answer he needed. He pushed down the melancholy as he asked again, with a small smile "Is it anyone I know?" Her answering squeak made him chuckle slightly as she quickly stood up and hurriedly squeaked out, "N-n-no one you know."

He took a deep sip of the slightly salty miso soup as she returned to her place and picked up the rice bowl. A part of him was amused at her efforts to try to hide her feelings from him. It was just that she was really bad at lying and hiding her feelings. A larger part of him was aching at the thought of finally having to share her gentle love with another man…Sora picked up the deep fried prawn and asked quietly, "What kind of person is he?"

_That_ made her stop and slowly lower her chopsticks. Her large grey eyes turned up from her bowl to his as she asked, "Eh?"

Sora repeated his question, in a more melancholic tone that he would have liked, "The person you like…what kind of person is he?"

Her eyes shifted away from his as she played with the edge of her sleeves. He watched as she twisted her fingers around before speaking softly, "He's….really kind to me. He's always looking out for me. He comes off as being really bad tempered but…..he's actually very sweet. And he's part of the kyudo club as well…" She rubbed the back of her head with a small laugh, "Actually he's the reason why I joined the club in the first place. He's _really_ good at it too. "

He sighed, letting his shoulders slump slightly as he ran his hand through his hair before speaking softly, "Its Kurosaki isn't it?"

Her face flushed a deep red and her gaze dropped down into her lap. She worried her lower lip between her teeth before letting out a small nod. Her heart was beating away at a fast pace as she admitted in a soft, low tone, "Yes…."

He wondered what he could say….if there was anything that could be said to properly get across his concerns for her safety and well being. What could he say that would properly explain his worries? He wanted to tell her that he only wanted the best for her. And was Kurosaki fully aware of what a delicate and rare treasure was being offered to him? Granted that Kurosaki had had his own share of bruises when it came to love but this was something completely different.

Orihime's throat tightened as the silence between the two of them lengthened. She wondered if her brother would tell her not to see Ichigo in a romantic way because he was too old for her. Perhaps he would insist that she immediately resign her position as the kyudo club's manager. Or worse, ask her to cut off all contact with the orange head. Tentatively, fearful of the worst, she sneaked a glance up at her older brother.

Sora watched as she slowly raised her head. Her scared gaze made him wonder, _'Can I really trust Kurosaki with this?_' As he met her nervous gaze, he smiled at her slightly as he spoke, "Gambare Orihime."

Her answer this time was a blush, a small hopeful smile as she nodded.

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"…locked me out! Can you believe that?"

The others nodded and murmured in sympathetic agreement to Renji's plight. Kira frowned before leaning over the table and asking, "But isn't that the third time? In…this past month?"

Hisagi snorted over his beer glass before muttering out loud, "You really need to learn to stop insulting her drawings already Renji."

Renji glared at the dark haired man before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a folded up piece of paper. He quickly unfolded it and handed it over to the two men sitting in front of him. Hisagi raised a curious eyebrow before taking the paper, "What's this?"

Ichigo leaned over, hoping to get a glance of the paper as well but had to wait as they handed it over to Chad. Ichigo stared in confusion at the bunny people seemingly performing utterly random acts before handing the paper back to Renji. "Is that Rukia's latest attempt at making bunny Olympics or something?"

Renji sighed before eying the sketch and asked Hisagi, "What's it look like to you?" Hisagi glanced first at Kira and then Chad before helplessly shrugging, making Renji snort. "Yeah, that's what I did too. And then got asked why I can't tell the members of my own club."

There was a moment of utter silence before Hisagi eyed the sketch and then Renji, "You have my sympathies."

"Kuchiki-san certainly has….some…unique artistic tastes." Kira hesitantly commented before picked up a chicken drumstick and biting into it.

Ichigo snorted, "That's a nice way of saying that she sucks at art."

"Who sucks at art?"

Ichigo twisted around at the familiar loud and brash voice before frowning, "Late as usual Grimmjow."

"Shaddap. Be glad I was able to find the time to get away from the office to listen to your pansy whining."

"And we're utterly grateful that you chose to grace us peasants with your presence Your Highness." Ichigo couldn't help but mutter into beer glass before taking a deep drought. Grimmjow seemed to have missed the comment as he sat down on the empty seat, tossing his coat beside him and loosening his tie. Kira pushed forward a plate of teriyaki towards the blue haired man as he asked, "How is your business going?"

Grimmjow flipped his phone open, turning it to silent mode before slipping it back into his pocket as he replied, "We're hanging in there. Course the fucking economy being in the toilet and all doesn't help in a lot of ways but we're gettin by. Thank Kami for Ulquiorra and Nel or else I swear I'd have killed all those idiots I've got on my payroll."

Hisagi plucked a piece of fried chicken up from the plate in front of him as he asked Grimmjow, "Ulquiorra didn't come?"

Grimmjow tugged off his green tie completely as he replied, "He's out of town for the next few weeks on some job in Osaka. Some fool messed up some order up there so he's gotta go there for damage control. Hate to be in their shoes. There's nothing that guy hates more than stupid mistakes."

Grimmjow held out his empty glass towards Renji, gesturing towards the tall beer bottle as he spoke, "So who did you say sucks at art?" Ichigo smirked before handing over Rukia's drawing over to blue haired man, "What do you make of this masterpiece?"

Grimmjow eyed the sketch before stating, "The hell's this crap?"

Renji sighed, "That would be the reason why I was kicked out on the curb by my girlfriend."

"You told her that this was crap to her face? You've got more balls that I thought you did." Hisagi snorted in laughter at Renji's irritated look and testy reply, "I couldn't tell her what it was much less what I thought about it!"

"And she still tossed you out? If I was gonna get tossed out anyways then I'd have told her that it was complete crap." Ichigo couldn't help but snicker as he replied, "Ah but then he'd be sitting here with a black eye and sore balls."

Grimmjow gave a slightly incredulous look at the long haired man, "Damn! Do you have a girl or a hell cat as your girlfriend?"

"I'd say hell cat. She scratches and hits like one." Ichigo couldn't help but grimace in remembrance of all the times the diminutive girl had hit him for one reason or another. "One time, she actually scratched me when I forgot to distribute the club schedules. Makes me wonder who the hell is the one in-charge."

Renji's face went from dark to suspiciously sneaky so fast that Ichigo couldn't help but suddenly feel very wary. It was very good when Renji got that look on his face because that look always spelled some kind of trouble for the people around him. In high school, the end result was usually a five thousand word reflection essay on nearly a bi-weekly basis. After wards, it usually meant some manner of public humiliation.

"Speaking of girlfriends! You'll never guess _who_ suddenly rediscovered his interest in women Grimmjow."

And now warning bells were ringing in Ichigo's head, his instincts telling him either to flee the scene or to quickly find someone way to shut the pink haired baboon up before he said something that would most definitely land him in some form of trouble. While Ichigo tried to control the cold sweat trickling down his neck at the ominous feeling he was getting, Grimmjow gave Renji a wide grin as he leaned towards him, "All ears here."

Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin when Renji threw an arm over his shoulder and pulled him in closer with a cheeky grin, "This guy over here. And not only is she a babe but she's also been declared the most desired girl in the unofficial freshman girl's ranking."

"The hell? Renji, get the fuck off me!"

"You're shitting me!" Grimmjow's eyebrows were raised high and up as he stared at Renji. At Renji's wide grin and head shake, he turned towards Hisagi, Chad and Kira. "Seriously? This jackass managed to land himself a girl like that?"

"I haven't landed her! Stop talking about her like that! And get the hell off me already you big ape!"

Hisagi sighed into his glass, "You wouldn't _believe_ how protective he was of her. He glared me just cause I was sitting next to her this one time. _And…_" Hisagi's face split in a sneaky grin, "I've heard that a certain someone also beat the shit out of the player who tried to get the aforementioned girl into his bed."

Grimmjow let out a soft "hmmm" of deliberation as Ichigo continued to rail on against his friends. "You jackasses are taking things way out of context! I was just looking out for her!" Grimmjow eyed the ranting Ichigo before smirking and asked, "How badly was the bastard hurt?"

Kira couldn't help the grin that came to his face, "A week in the hospital thanks to various broken ribs. And…what was it Shuuhei-san…fifteen stitches along with a concussion?" Hisagi nodded in affirmation of the statement before grinning, "But of course, it's all rumors and gossip mind you given that the guy's keeping his mouth shut."

"Twelve stitches on the head." Chad corrected quietly. Grimmjow turned towards the very red and fuming strawberry head as he said, "Well damn. Never thought I'd see the day that you'd get that like over your woman."

"She's _not_ my woman!" Ichigo retorted sharply.

"Then why kick that bastard's ass when he was coming onto her?" was Grimmjow's immediate query.

Ichigo rolled his eyes as though he couldn't believe the sheer stupidity of the question, "Because she was in danger you moron!"

Grimmjow snorted, "What are you? Her father or body guard or somethin that you get to do shit like that? If you're not her boyfriend then where do you get off actin like that towards her?"

"Because…I promised her brother I'd look for her….she's like a little sister to me…" Ichigo mumbled into his glass before draining it of the amber liquid.

Renji gave Grimmjow a long suffering glance and muttered, "See what stupidity we have to put up with on a _daily_ basis? He's been singing this same damn tune every damn time we ask him this."

Ichigo scowled harder at his friends, "Why the hell can't you idiots believe me when I say that?!"

Kira quietly replied, "Because your actions speak different than your words."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo glared at the blonde as he shared a glance with his dark haired friend, who in turn sighed and said, "Ichigo… the way you act around Inoue-san…"

Ichigo's gaze ticked to Hisagi's as he continued, "It doesn't make you think that your actions are…brotherly."

Renji gave him a dry, exasperated look as he continued, "It makes you think jealous, possessive, neanderthal boyfriend actually."

Ichigo gaped in open mouthed shock at his three friends before turning his gaze towards the quiet and stoic Mexican who was calmly listening to the whole conversation. The dark skinned man merely nodded in agreement before saying in his low baritone voice, "You do act like that Ichigo."

Ichigo could hear and feel something snap as even his best friend went to stand on the other side of the fence. "Now see here you jackasses! I promised her older brother that I'd look for her and I keep my promises! I told him that I'd make sure that nothing bad happens to her and that I'd help her out whenever I can! Just because I'm watching out for her doesn't mean that I like her like that! Sure I admit that she's kinda pretty but she's totally clueless so I have to look out for her."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by Ichigo's heavy breathing as he finished his loud speech. Grimmjow eyed him before stating, "I don't believe that shit of yours for one damn second." Ichigo turned to him, his eyes narrowed in warning as he opened his mouth to retort. Grimmjow merely held up a hand to cut the other man off as he said, "No seriously. Who the fuck are you trying to fool? You sound more like you're trying to convince yourself than anyone else here."

Ichigo blinked as though he had just been slapped on the face with a cold fish. "That's…not…"

"Oh don't start on that shit." Renji snorted over his plate of food. "You, me and _everyone else_ knows what a loada crap _that_ is. The sooner you admit that you actually _like_ the girl is the sooner I'll be spared of Rukia's plans to hook you two up."

"Say what?!" Ichigo gaped at the tattooed man who calmly went on eating his food. "Rukia's been trying what?"

"Did he go deaf and dumb in the time we didn't meet?" Grimmjow asked no one in particular before asking Ichigo, "Listen you idiot, I don't even know the girl or seen you with her but if what these guys are saying is true, isn't it clear that you like her?"

"No…I…." Ichigo could barely get the denial out of his mouth as a voice in his brain chimed in, _'You know they could be right. You haven't been treating her like you could any other girl. Plus, you can't control yourself around her…that in itself should tell you something.'_ Weakly Ichigo stated, "But I don't like her like that…I think…."

"What makes you think that?" Ichigo looked up at Chad, surprised at the sudden inquiry from the giant before frowning and replying, "Because it wasn't like this with Chisa at all. Ichigo looked around in surprise at the sudden out burst of groans and head smacks that went around the table after his admission. Flushing slightly, he couldn't help but ask defensively, "_What_?!"

"Renji, smack him on the head for me." Grimmjow waited for the red head to do so before snapping at the strawberry head, "You stupid fuck, you were _seventeen_ back then! Of course what you felt for her and what you feel now are different! You cant fucking compare the two!"

"Then how the hell can you say that I like her like that? If I can't judge on what I know from my past, then how can you say that I like her?" Ichigo couldn't quite keep out the slight despair from his tone as well as his exasperation.

Renji turned to him with a sigh, "Do you want to make sure that she doesn't get hurt in any way?"

Ichigo frowned, "Yeah."

Hisagi continued, "You don't want any other man to get too close to her romantically?"

Ichigo hesitated before answering, "I…guess….no…"

Kira smiled slightly as he asked, "Do you want to be the one who she goes too for help?"

Ichigo nodded, "Well yeah…"

"Do you feel like it gets a little hard to think about what's the right way to act around her?" Chad inquired from his friend.

Again Ichigo hesitated and didn't answer as he recalled the kiss that he had shared with the younger girl. His hesitant and contemplative gaze falling down at the table as he considered what the others were proposing and he tried to wrap his mind around it. Grimmjow concluded the questions by asking, "Do you want to make her happy?"

Immediately her smiling face came to his mind and he knew that if there was one person in his life that he personally wanted to make happy…it would be her. He looked up at the blue haired man and nodded. He nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise when the four of his five friends said in an exasperated chorus, "Then you like her (you stupid fuck", was Grimmjow's addition).

"I….really? I … like her?" A sudden sense of epiphany came over Ichigo as he spoke those words aloud. It was as though a missing piece of the puzzle had fallen into his lap and he was finally able to make perfect sense of the puzzle that was forming in front of him. It was like someone had flipped the proverbial switch in his head that threw bright light over him. It explained a lot of how he felt around her and also the way he behaved.

'_The way I behaved around her…oh shit!'_ Ichigo groaned and smacked his empty palm against his forehead. Renji groaned as well before asking, "Now what?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Nothing. It's just…I remembered something that I need to apologize about to her."

Grimmjow and Renji shared a suspicious glance before asking, "Why? What you do?"

Ichigo scowled, "None of your damn business."

Grimmjow stared at Ichigo for a few moments in contemplation as Ichigo angrily bit down on a large piece of fried chicken before asking, "You didn't kiss her did you?"

Renji gaped at Grimmjow and then at the suddenly red (and choking) Ichigo. "You sonova- you didn't!" As Ichigo's face turned more red (Renji couldn't properly tell if it was from the lack of air or embarrassment but most likely a mix of the two), Renji couldn't help but let out a hoot as Hisagi let out a groan of defeat. "This one's like a fox in a sheep's clothing! I never thought he'd have it in him!"

Ichigo just wished he could bury his head in the sand like an ostrich. At least that way he'd be able to avoid the ribbing he _knew_ was in for the remainder of the night. _'Damn Grimmjow and his stupidly accurate guesses. How the fuck does he _do _that anyways? Oh Kami how I hate it when he's right.'_

Ichigo glared at Grimmjow over the banter and teasing directed his way and Grimmjow merely grinned back, revealing his pointed canine tooth as he stated, "To think that the day'd come when this pansy would actually make a move on a girl. Hell's gonna freeze over pretty soon."

Ichigo sighed and let his shoulders slump in defeat. _'Oh well…might as well put up with it. The sooner it'll be over too.'_

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**Kobato…I love Kobato T^T SO sad that its anime ended. NOOOO! WHAT will I do without my weekly dose of my darling goddess? *sobs* But on the bright side, I've got Angelbeats to look forward too along with K-On Season 02. MIO~~~ (moe moe kyun~)  
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**GRIMMY~! *pounces on him* I had utterly forgotten that I had wanted you in this fic too so I'm SO happy that you decided to stomp in! Much love to you my dearest kitty~ MUWAH!**

**And I love you guys who managed to pick up that I was screwing something up but to you lovely fellow perverts of mine, don't worry! I'll get the smut in here somehow~ soon though. =3 No hard feelings right? Just a bad joke by a silly author who will humbly beg for some good reviews~**


	9. Under the Peach Blossoms

**Over 100 reviews! *Cries in her corner of the Internet* My first ever 100 reviews on a fanfic, thank you all so much!**

**Love to Thail and especial thanks to Amar and copper as always for being the test subjects. No mad scientist's here…nope…*tries to hide the giant lightening rod***

**Disclaimer: applied, applied and applied. Applied once more for good measure.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 0 9 ~**

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'_It's real simple. When she comes out, start by asking her if we can go somewhere to talk and then apologize for being too forward for that day…….'_

Ichigo stared at the closed door in front of him and kept repeating the plan in his mind. It was simple and therefore, had less chance of errors in it. The more detailed the plan, the more chances of screwing up. He eyed the frosted glass and cursed whoever had proposed and approved of the idea for the classroom doors to have frosted glasses. _'Can't see a damn thing through it! How much longer is this sensei gonna keep rambling on?'_

As though as answer to his question, the door knob twisted. Ichigo stood up straighter, forcing himself to not nervously rub his sweaty hands on his jeans as the door opened and the students began to trickle out. He waited for the familiar flash of auburn but it didn't come out with the initial out pour of students. _'Did she even come today…?'_

Ichigo walked up to the doorway, his eyes quickly scanning the room in search of the busty girl. She was pushing her bag up on her shoulders and rising up from her seat. He watched as she slowly straightened to her full height and he held his breath as her gaze fell on him. A small blush came to her round cheeks before she murmured something to the very busty red head beside her before making her slow way towards him, her gaze dropped down to focus on the floor.

He swallowed hard as she stood in front of him. She met his gaze momentarily as she greeted him. Not fully trusting his voice he nodded back. He cleared his throat and licked his upper lip before asking, "Can we talk?"

Burnished silver blinked up at him before hiding behind dark lashes demurely as she replied, "Of course."

He stepped back and started walking down the hallway, making sure to walk beside her rather than in front of her. Though initially it seemed that she wanted to walk behind him but when she had noticed that he was matching his pace to hers, she had stopped her deliberately slow pace. As they made their way outside, he noticed from the corner of his eyes that she was shifting the books in her arms around while trying to keep her bag from slipping down her shoulders.

He watched her as she let out a small noise of distress as her bag slipped down to her elbow and a few papers started to slip out from between the books. He stopped and took hold of the papers that were two inches away from completely slipping out from her grasp. He grasped hold of the books from the top, "I'll take these."

"Oh I couldn…"

Ichigo cut off her protests by tugging the books out of her weakening grip before sticking the handouts back into the books. He tucked the books under his arm as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Alright now?"

"Hai. Arigatou."

"S' nothing." He mumbled as he started walking again. He raised his free hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight as the pair stepped out of the building. Orihime took a deep breath of fresh air, hoping that it would calm her nerves down slightly before exhaling slowly. She looked up at Ichigo, wondering if it was alright to ask where they were going when Ichigo turned slightly towards her and gestured to the side with his head, "This way."

Blinking slightly in surprise, she merely nodded and followed him as he led her away from the main building and away into the nearby groove of blossoming trees. She looked back towards the main building before deciding that she liked the tranquility that this area held. And she wasn't the only one who seemed to think that as well. A few students either sat or lounged beneath the shade of the large peach trees, in various poses of relaxed study.

Her gaze shifted upwards, watching the deep pink peach blossoms sway in the wind, letting the golden sunlight occasional through the green and pink cover. She raised one hand to hold her hair out of her face as a breeze blew around her. She pulled the stray strands behind her ear before glancing up at Ichigo.

His brow was furrowed as usual, playing hide and seek between his bright orange bangs that were falling so appealingly over his brow. She wanted to reach up and stroke away the every permanent scowl and play with those bright, dancing strands of hair of his. _'I wonder if his hair is as soft as it looks...I wonder what he does to have hair that looks so soft and shiny. Maybe he's got a contract with the hair elves! They must come every night and brush his hair a thousand times with their especially enchanted hair brushes that make hair stronger and shinier! Aaaah how enviable! I wish I knew elves like those! All the ones I know are so mischievous! Always tripping me over and hiding my things! Maybe I should ask Kurosaki-san to introduce me to eeep!"_

Orihime rubbed her nose that had just bumped into Ichigo's back as he had come to a stop. He turned around and leaned down to ask her, "You okay?"

Her eyes widened at their close proximity, her brain running the memory of their kiss (_'Kisses'_ a smart alec voice in her head corrected) in full surround sound and feeling. _'Oh I shouldn't be thinking about that! Focus Orihime FOCUS!'_

She squeaked out, "I'm fine, thank you." before taking a small step backwards, more for her own peace of mind than anything. So preoccupied was she with trying to get her blush to cool down that she failed to notice the tightening of his jaw at her slight retreat or the flash of surprised hurt that went through his eyes before being replaced with resignation.

"Listen…about before…" Orihime stopped her observation of the falling peach blossoms as Ichigo began to speak in a hesitant tone. "In the club room I mean…." Again her gaze shifted away from his, an embarrassed flush filling her cheeks as he continued, "That…that hadn't been your….first…..was it?"

Ichigo fought the urge to run his hand over his face at the slightly puzzled look she directed towards him. _'I really don't have to say it do I? She can't be that clueless! . . . . or maybe she's doing this on purpose?'_ Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if maybe that kiss had meant that little to her that she had forgotten it so soon.

He had been tormented by the scent and feel of her for the rest of that day. Even now as he stood in front of her, a few days after, he could recall clearly the feel of those plump pink lips against his. That soft and alluring moan she had let out as his fingertips had traced her ear shell. He licked his lips and took in a deep breath, willing the rising heat in his body to melt away as he opened his mouth to continue his question.

He closed his mouth as she suddenly flushed a deep red and her fingertips went up to cover her lips. _'OH! He meant _that_!' _Internally Orihime was panicking in embarrassment at her inability to pick up such an obvious hint. _'Baka baka baka Orihime! What else could he have meant! I can't believe that I didn't pick that up! I'm such a silly goose!' _

Ichigo watched in a mix of amusement and worry as she nervously fidgeting in front of him, her hands twisting her hair round and round her fingers as she repeatedly opened and closed her mouth. Her blush spread over her nose with every instance words failed to come out of her mouth before she gave up and nodded at the ground.

Wondering if they both were well and truly on the same page, Ichigo asked again, "So that…had been your…first kiss then..."

She nodded the second time, this time turning her face away from his to gaze away at the distant building. "_Shit_."

Orihime blinked in surprise at the sudden curse and turned her gaze back towards Ichigo, a slightly hurt look in her eyes. _'What is that supposed to mean? Was it that bad that he has to go and...'_

"I'm sorry Inoue."

'…_well that was unexpected.'_ Her surprise was written all over her face as Ichigo apologized to her again, "I'm sorry for…pushing myself on you like that. It was irresponsible of me."

Orihime felt conflicted in her emotions. _'What does he mean by that? That he couldn't control himself and kissed me? That he never meant to kiss me in the first place? That he doesn't have any feelings for me?' _Orihime kept her eyes wide open, willing herself not to let her tears fall down in front of him. She pressed her lips together and told herself not to blink.

Ichigo sighed out loud as he saw her glistening eyes before taking a step forward right in front of her. Her books dropped out of his hands as he hastily went through his pockets in search of a tissue or handkerchief to wipe away her impending tears but came up with nothing. In slight desperation, he pulled one of the sleeves over his hand (suddenly feeling very glad that he was wearing a full sleeved shirt today) and clumsily attempted to wipe away her tears.

Orihime stilled in shock and surprise as he gruffly muttered, "Why do I always screw this up with you?" as he finished wiping away the stray tear trail. Hesitantly, she let her gaze meet his. His brow was furrowed as always but _'I've never seen him look so seriously at me…'_

Ichigo gazed into her glimmering mercury eyes before forcing himself to step back before he started to kiss her again instead of explaining himself. She bit her lower lip as she hesitantly asked, "Wh-what…do you mean by that? By what you just said…"

He looked away uncomfortably as he replied, "I…I forced myself on you. I couldn't…I should have kept better control over myself. I shouldn't have done that to you without your permission. It was…just…I shouldn't have done that."

Quietly she asked, "So you feel responsible for what happened then?"

"Yes…No...Maybe…I guess so…" He rubbed the back of his neck slowly, "If…if that's what you want…then I will. Take responsibility for it I mean."

She met his uncomfortable gaze for a long moment before asking quietly, "Why?"

He blinked in surprise at her question, "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?" She couldn't understand what he wanted from her or what his aim was from this. Was he doing this just to satisfy his sense of justice and fairness? Voicing her thoughts out loud she continued, "I don't understand why you would do this."

She felt her heart drop to her feet as he broke away from her gaze and sighed down at the ground, his hand running through his hair. "To be honest……"

Ichigo looked back up at her as he replied, "To be honest I don't think I can put it down to exact words." Ichigo couldn't help but smile slightly at the adorably confused expression she made at his answer. He continued onward, "I know that…I don't want things to be awkward between us."

Hope beat inside her chest like the wings of a dove as she asked with a dry mouth, "Is it…alright to ask then?" Her hopeful gaze meeting his questioning brown eyes as she asked, "What…what is it that you want? Between us, I mean..."

Words started spilling out of his mouth before his brain could properly formulate an articulate enough answer but that was pretty much how much every recent conversation with her had gone anyways so Ichigo mere let the words flow out, as choppily and untidily and as truthfully as he could.

"I don't know to be honest. I thought I knew before but….now I'm not sure any more. I know that I don't us to be on bad terms…and I don't want you to be hurt by anything that I say or do…or by anyone for that matter…I want us to be on good terms with each other. I want you to depend on me for more than just your studies. I want to spend more time with you. I want to know you better."

Orihime thought that she just may pass out or fall down given how dizzy she felt with every word that came out from his lips. Her knees were already threatening her that they may give out at any minute and her hands were trembling as they tightly grasped the strap of her bag. She let out a weak, self-conscious laugh as she said, "Kurosaki-san…that sounded almost like a confession."

She held her breath and tightly closed her eyes as the words hung in the air like embarrassing laundry on the front veranda. She was about to start mentally berated her mouth for its cheekiness when his low chuckle cut into her inner scolding.

She looked up at him. He was standing just before her, leaning down to that their eyes were level as he softly asked, "What if I said to take it like that, then what would you say?" His warm gaze made her blush slightly, her tongue tying itself up in multiple knots as he stepped forward. His voice was low and held a tinge of uncertainty as he spoke. "If you're willing, then I am too."

Licking her dry, chapped lips, she managed to ask, "You…mean…?"

The corner of his lips turned up into a slight smile as he answered, "I can't promise anything but…I'll do my best to take care of you. I promise I'll protect you. So, If you're alright with me…then I'm willing to see where this…where _us_…goes." Ichigo couldn't stop the slight flush from coming to his cheeks as he finished and waited for her response.

And now her mind was spinning. She was positive that she had somehow gotten drunk of the sweet smell of the blossoms and was imagining this wonderful dream. It had to be a dream…Right? She raised both hands up to her face and slapped her cheeks hard.

"Oye! What're you doing?!"

'_What the hell is this girl thinking?!'_ Ichigo couldn't help but wonder in alarm as he grabbed hold of her hands between his and her big doe eyes met him with a surprised, "It's not a dream?"

Ichigo gave her a dry, 'I-am-not-amused' look as he replied, "No. And next time you want to check, pinch your hand or ask someone else around you instead of slapping yourself."

"So it really wasn't a dream? I didn't hallucinate what Kurosaki-san just said?"

'_And of course she's gonna ignore what I say' _Ichigo opened his mouth, reading to repeat and if necessary smack his words into her extremely hard head but her beseeching look had all his hard words crumbling away like sand in the wind. He brushed back a few stray strands of hair away from her face before running the back of his fingers against her pink cheek.

"Like I said…although I can't promise you anything but…I'd like to go out with you."

His heart was pounding against his ribs in nervous anticipation as he watched her eyes drop down to stare at her feet. His brain was groaning in a dark corner, loudly lamenting the utter lack of control over words that he was showed whenever he was around her. Again and again it let out anguished moans, declaring that it would have nothing to do with the consequences of this! Ichigo held his breath as she looked up at him before letting out a shaking, "…I…I would like that…to try out the possibilities...with you…"

Ichigo let out the breath that he had been holding in, his heart feeling lighter than it had felt in ages. A part of felt like pumping his fists in the air and to let out triumphant yells but he satisfied himself by taking her hand into his. _'It's so weird…I don't remember feeling this nervous back when I asked Chisa out…and I don't think I felt this….happy when she had said yes either….'_ He gave her a smile, tightly squeezing her hand before asking, "You have another class right now right?" At her answering nod, he bent down to retrieve her books before standing back up. "Come on. I'll walk you there."

As they made their slow way back, Orihime felt like her feet were barely touching the ground. _'This…may be and must be quite imprudent of me but…'_ Orihime couldn't help but glance up shyly at Ichigo's profile before blushing slightly and dropping her gaze back down at their enjoined hands. _'I'm not just imaging this … right? The distance between us…is getting smaller…slowly and surely but…it is decreasing…'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"You did WHAT?!"

Ichigo grimaced as a few stray rice grains flew and stuck to his face. Utterly disgusted, he wiped off the rice with a tissue before looking back up at Rukia, who was staring in open mouthed surprise at the orange head.

"Nice Rukia…really nice. I'll tell Byakuya that all that etiquette training you took _really _paid off."

Rukia ignored his comment and all but pounced on him with her words. "You said that you were going to apologize to her! I don't know what the hell you were apologizing for but HOW did you go from apologizing to a girl to asking her out!? Besides, I thought you didn't want that! I thought you weren't interested in that ever since….well…you know…Chisa…"

Ichigo frowned at her over the rim of his ramen bowl. "I never said that I wasn't interested."

Rukia gave him a look dry enough to turn ice into gas as she retorted, "_You _were the one who said that you didn't see her anything more than a sister. So what the hell happened that now you want to go out with her?"

Rukia expected fireworks, temper tantrums, adamant denials and even a fist slamming down at the table along with lots of loud yelling revolving around the sentence 'It's none of your business' but instead all she got was a contemplative look and a murmur, "I don't know…she's just…different."

Rukia wondered if maybe she was pushing her luck but given that she was the couple's (self declared) Cupid, she felt it was her duty to probe deeper into this matter. Especially since this was one of the few rare times that she had seen such an introspective and contemplative look on the orange head's face. Coupled with the fact that he was actually being open with his feelings for once, it was too rare of an opportunity to not probe deeper into the matter. "Different? How?"

Ichigo glanced at her again before shaking his head slightly, "She just…is." Rukia wondered if maybe he had the emotional range of a tea bag or that he was just poor at recognizing his own emotions. Either ways, she was ready to grab his hair and tear it out in the hopes of getting some more concrete answers.

Ichigo tapped his spoon against the tray as he continued, unaware that Rukia was hanging onto every word of his, "The way she makes me feel….it's nothing like when I was with Chisa. Nothing is the same like that time. She…Inoue…she makes me…feel more than think."

Rukia blinked in confusion at the statement before asking, "Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?"

Ichigo let out a humorless snort, "Really? Well that would explain why it didn't work out with Chisa."

Rukia watched as he picked up the striped bowl again to finish off his food. "I'm happy for you…both of you." She scowled at the disbelieving look he gave her before replying, "I really am! She's a really sweet girl and you're a good guy. Well…if you ignore the foul mouth, the inclination for tight t-shirts, short temper, brashness…"

"Shut up before I pound you six inches shorter than you already are you midget."

Rukia chuckled at his irritated look before daintily flipping her hair over her shoulder, "You need a better come back you know. _That_ one's gotten old." She ignored the angry muttering he was doing under his breath as he stood up with his tray in hand before standing up as well.

As they both returned the utensils and trays and made their way outside, Rukia repeated, "I really am happy for you." She was surprised at the small, soft smile that came to his lips. _'I wonder if he's realized how often he tends to smile when he talks about her…'_ "Thanks Rukia."

Rukia smiled craftily behind Ichigo's back. _'Now I've gotta sneak it out of Inoue about why he apologized and what happened. Ooh this is so much more exciting than any shoujo manga!'_

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**Awkward and shy Ichigo is just too cute isn't he? Makes you want to glomp him till he goes blue in the face =3**

**Reviews are appreciated, squealed, laughed and Facebook-ed about by this author XD Yes…I do post on my Facebook my overall reactions to the reviews. **


	10. The Gossip Mill

**Terribly sorry for the delayed update folks! I got COMPLETELY derailed thanks to Junjou Romantica. Aspdhapsodja/;o'sdh;asoiugda;osda EGOIST IS SO MUCH LOVE! *cheers and waves around her HirokixNowaki flags* Hiroki is such an adorkable tsundere and Nowaki....ooo Nowaki. I wish you were real then I'd just jump on you and never le….. ahem~ **

**In order to make up for the lateness of this chapter, its an extra thousand words. Enjoy! Special thanks to Thail for her awesome idea and to Hassan who wound up becoming my second beta reader XD**

**Disclaimer: le applied. I don't own Bleach OR the other two shout-outs in this chapter.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 1 0 ~**

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Orihime looked up at the deeply frowning countenance of her boyfriend of one week and meekly stated, "It wasn't _that_ bad Kurosaki-san." That made him glance down at her with a slightly exasperated glance that made her look away and murmur, "Gomen…Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo gave a semi-despairing glance up at the sky _'Well at least it's a step up from Kurosaki-san. Then again, it's not like I'm any better…I still call her Inoue. And how can she say that it wasn't that bad?'_ He responded in as even level a tone as he could manage, "It was bad enough."

She jumped in front of him, walking backwards down the road while facing him, giving him a wide smile as she continued "But the others were happy for you."

Ichigo gave her another exasperated glance, "Yeah. That explains why they all either face faulted, fell over, missed their targets or let out screams of 'Impossible!' when you said that I was your boyfriend. It was because they were happy for me."

Orihime raised a finger up to her lips in contemplation before snapping her fingers, "Ah! Renji-kun congratulated you!" She blinked in surprise at the snort the orange head let out before retorting, "His exact words were 'She's too good for you but well, try your best'. That's not congratulations."

She closed her eyes, raising her finger to her forehead in deeper thought, making Ichigo worry that she was sure to trip and fall over on her back at any given moment. Just as he was about to warn her, she let out a loud "AHA!" that nearly made him stumble over his own feet. He stared down at her finger in surprise before looking over the pointing appendage and into her eyes as she stated, "Keigo-kun! He congratulated you!"

'_And I could almost see the tears of blood running down his face when he did too. But…why burst her bubble.' _Ichigo wryly pointed out loud, "That's still just one person. Even your friend Tatsuki threatened me."

"That's just her way to approving of you!" Ichigo couldn't help but rub his shoulder where he had gotten punched by the dark haired girl, _'She couldn't have just said that then?' _He watched as Orihime did a neat little turn, making her calf length skirt flare up and providing him with a clear view of her slim legs before returning to its original position. She clasped her hands behind her as she now walked in front of him, humming softly underneath her breath. Ichigo slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he watched her hair sway with her every step.

Ichigo was perfectly content in the comfortable silence between them, another thing that he found himself liking about the girl in front of him. She didn't think it was necessary to fill in the silence with chatter of one kind or another. Rather, she seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the long stretches of quiet between the two of them. She looked back at him, giving him a wide smile as she noticed that he was staring at him before moving back to walk beside him.

He gave her a slight smile in return before slipping his hand out of her pocket and holding it out towards her. "Inoue."

She turned towards him, a smile on her lips as her bright eyes met his. She followed his glance down at his hand, _'Eh? Does he want me to give him something?' _She looked up in puzzlement and was further confused at the red tint coloring his cheeks. He gruffly spoke, "Your hand."

'_Eh? My hand? . . . OH!' _Orihime immediately raised her hand, fully intent on placing it on top of his palm when her stomach loudly decided to announce its current state. Embarrassed at the loud *guuuu* noise that her stomach has just let out, she curled her arms over her stomach and gave Ichigo a sheepish grin. She was surprised at the sudden chuckle he let out before he moved behind her and placed his hands on her slim shoulders.

She glanced up in surprise before looking forward as he started to gently push her towards the convenience store that they had passed by a few minutes ago. "Kurosaki-kun?" She couldn't help but inquire as they came to stand in front of the store.

"You're hungry right?" At her nod, Ichigo pointed at the large sign that stated that the store sold nikuman and anpan and spoke, "It's my treat." He ignored her comments of "It's really not necessary Kurosaki-kun! I'm really not that hungry really! My stomach was just doing a regular monthly emergency drill in order to make sure that everything's in running order! It happens all the time so it's nothing really to worry about!"

He glanced down at her stomach and then up at her embarrassed face as her stomach let out a louder grumbling noise before asking, "Right…emergency drills. Ne jii-san." Ichigo pointed towards Orihime as the old man behind the counter turned around, "Get her whatever she wants please."

He pushed Orihime in front of the display of buns and said, "Go ahead."

Orihime looked at him, then at the buns and back at him in askance. He merely crossed his arms and waited for her, his gaze steady as he watched her. "So then, what'll be ojou-san?" She gave Ichigo a small smile as she bowed her head in thanks before turning towards the old man and the display rack.

"Nikuman…Anpan…Waaaa which should I pick? If I take the nikuman then I'll want to have something sweet. But if I take the anpan as well then I won't have any room left to have dinner and then onii-chan will be angry with me! Ah but I still want to have something sweet as well. After all, who can resist something as delicious as red bean paste! This really is so confusing! What should I do…"

Ichigo watched with a raised eyebrow as her finger kept ticking to and fro from the meat buns to the sweet buns and back again like a swinging pendulum. When her finger would come to stop in front of the nikuman, she would state one good thing about it before moving towards the anpan. And again, she would say something good about the anpan. Ichigo noticed the amused smile of the old man and returned a wry grin of his own before he moved forward.

He pulled out ¥200 from his pocket before pushing it on the counter, "Give us an anpan and a nikuman please." Orihime looked up at him in confusion and asked, "One each?"

Ichigo picked up the paper bag containing the buns and replied, "Yep. Come on."

Orihime obediently trotted out after him and wondered what he was planning to do. She jumped slightly when Ichigo thrust the bag into her hands. "Here, hold this for a minute."

She blinked in surprise as he pulled out a nikuman and carefully pulled it apart into two pieces, "Here, can you hold this half?" Orihime rearranged the paper bag to rest against her chest and left arm before reaching out for the half bun with her right hand. She watched as he took out the anpan and again, tore it in half before handing her the second half and took the bag out of her hands.

She stared down at the two bun halves in her hand before looking up at Ichigo. He gave her a grin as he put one half of the bun back into the bag and stated, "Now you can have your sweet and salty at the same time and not worry about eating too much either."

Orihime stared down in surprise and amazement at the two halves before looking up at him with awe in her eyes, "Kurosaki-kun is so clever! I never would have thought to do something like that!" She followed her praise by biting into the steaming hot meat bun and let out a soft moan of delight.

Ichigo blushed slightly and looked away at her praise, _'Like I'm gonna admit that I read that in Yuzuru's shoujo manga…'_ and then he looked back at her at her small sound of delight. She had taken a hearty bite out of the nikuman and was making quick work of the hot treat reminding Ichigo that he should finish his own before it would grow cold.

He licked his thumb and fingers clean of the remnants of the meaty treat when Orihime suddenly asked, "Kurosaki-sa…err…Kurosaki-kun, can you please hold this for a minute?"

Ichigo took hold of her anpan and stopped as she began to rummage through her bag. "What are you looking for?" he couldn't help but ask as she energetically searched through the cloth bag.

She pulled the bag off her shoulder, raised her knee to rest the bag on as she searched and replied, "For my bento. I had some leftovers and I want to have that with the anpan. It's the best way to have anpan!" She looked up at Ichigo with a bright gleam in her grey eyes as she asked, "Would Kurosaki-san also like to try that?"

He knocked her lightly on the forehead with his knuckles at her slip, "Its Kurosaki-kun. And sure, I'll try it." _'She probably eats her anpan with tamogayaki or something else sweet.' _Ichigo's eyes flew open in surprise as she pulled out a small tube of wasabi would from her bento. _'What the?! Wasabi? With anpan?!'_

Ichigo watched in mounting horror as she spread the green paste over her sweet bun before handing it over to him, "Hai Kurosaki-kun!" Weakly, he took hold of the food monstrosity, barely noticing that she had taken away the paper bag he had been holding in his hands. He watched in horror as she slathered even more wasabi on the last half of the bun before biting down on it. He waited for her to start screaming for water but instead she took a bigger bite of the bun before pasting more of the spicy paste on the remaining bun.

She must have noticed his stare because she looked up mid-bite. She glanced at him and then at the still untouched bun in his hands. A slightly let down expression came on her face as she asked, "You don't want to eat that?"

Feeling a tad ill, he glanced down at the bun in his hands and cursed his father for teaching him to always carry out a girl's wishes no matter how damn silly they might be. _'If I get ill from this, I'm totally blaming that old goat for teaching me too many manners.' _Praying to the God above for his safety, Ichigo closed his eyes and took a hesitant bite from the bun.

Immediately his eyes watered at the spicy flavor of the wasabi and he fought back the urge to spit the food out as his taste buds screamed in protest at the mix of sweet and spicy flavor. Ichigo glanced around, wondering if there was somewhere he could sneakily dispose of the bun when he met her stare. She had a severely hopeful and happy expression on her face as she asked, "So?"

Not having the heart to burst her happy bubble, Ichigo forced himself to chew and then swallow. He closed his eyes before opening them and weakly gave her a thumbs up. More than happy at his reaction, she returned to her own treat and Ichigo again looked around for a garbage can to drop the remaining bun into but then, she turned to look at him. And kept turning back again and again to sneak glances at him.

'…_Damn my good manners.'_ Ichigo knew that he was going to develop a stomach ache as he resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to finish the whole thing on his own. _'Just my damn luck. _That'll _teach me to open my stupid mouth without thinking.'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Nei onii-chan, can we have dinner a little late tonight?"

Sora looked up from the report in his lap, "Alright. But mind telling me why?"

Orihime gave him a bright smile as she finished pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "Kurosaki-kun got me a nikuman and anpan on the way back home so I'm not really hungry yet."

Sora let out a small 'humph' before returning to the papers in his lap, "Well I'm not surprised. You can't eat two buns and then be hungry again in two hours."

Orihime stopped in the doorway of the bathroom as she replied, "Oh but I didn't have two buns."

Sora looked up at her in confusion, "But you just said…."

"I had half of a nikuman and half of an anman. I shared it with Kurosaki-kun." Her smile became wider and more radiant as she continued, "He even ate the anman with wasabi like I do and said that it tasted nice."

"Huh…" Sora couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in wonder at that last statement. "Is that right?" _'I thought that guy hated anything that had wasabi or red bean paste in it…'_

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo pulled out his cell phone as it vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the displayed name before flipping the phone open and asked, "What?"

Ichigo eyed the static red man on the signal as Renji queried, "I'm standing in front of our fridge and something occurred to me…"

Ichigo walked along with the crowd as the signal turned blue and he began to cross the busy street. "You realized that you can't cook worth shit?"

"Laugh it up shit head. We're outta beer and milk. You're out already so get some on your way back."

Ichigo frowned as he go to the other side of the "What am I, your damn butler? Go out and get it yourself. The convenience store is five minutes away you baboon."

"But you're already out." Renji's voice clearly gave the implicit message of 'If you're already out then you can get it so why should I bother going out into the rising heat?' Ichigo's eyes were darting around the entrance of the cinema, in search of Orihime as he distractedly replied, "If you want to wait for a few hours for the stuff then I'll get it"

Renji's confused voice broke into his thoughts, "A few hours? Where the hell did you go? It's a Saturday for crying out loud!" Ichigo let out an internal sigh of relief as he caught no sign of the long haired girl. He leaned against a dark grey pillar as he replied, "You sound like a mother-in-law when you ask shit like that. I went out means I went out."

"But where? Did you go to the library to finish that paper of yours?" Ichigo caught sight of Orihime as she hurried through the bustling crowd. She glanced down at her watch before letting her gray eyes wander over the cinema entrance. As she caught sight of the familiar figure by the entrance, she enthusiastically raised her arm (nearly smacking a nearby businessman in the face) and waved it at him. Ichigo smiled slightly and raised his own hand in acknowledgment.

"OYE!" Ichigo started at the loud yell that rang in his ear "Are you even listening to me?!"

She came to a stop before him, giving him a wide smile. "Kurosaki-kun! Konnichiwa!"

"Is that Inoue?! Did you go out on a date?! You sneaky little-"

Icihgo ignored the question and the yelling that followed, opting to drop the call and change the profile on his cell phone to silent, with no vibration alert. He slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Yo."

She fiddled with her fingers as she asked, "I hope I haven't kept you waiting long."

He shook his head, "Na, I just got here a few minutes before you."

An awkward silence fell between them as the rest of the city inhabitants walked by, intent on their own tasks. He cleared his throat and asked, "So aaah, what do you wanna watch?"

Immediately her face brightened as she clenched her fists together. Ichigo was ready to hear the name of some romance flick and told himself to be a man and to suck it up when she exclaimed, "It has to be 'Will of the Abyss IV: The Story of Kevin Regnard'!"

Ichigo blinked in surprise at the movie choice. The newly released movie had more action than romance, more fighting than drama and more fantasy elements than anything else. He glanced up at the poster of the dark shaped apparition with glowing red eyes before pointing up to it, "You…want to watch that?"

She was literally bouncing in her short heels as she nodded, "Yes! I'm a big fan of the series! I prefer Vincent-san more than Oz-kun though, he's much more interesting after all! Ah but then again Sharon-chan is also quite an interesting character as well! And then there is also Xarxes-san and Emi-"

Orihime sudden stopped mid-sentence as Tatsuki's voice came into her head, _'Remember to either pick a horror movie or a romance film!_' Orihime let out an internal wail of despair, _'Gomen Tatsuki-chan! I completely forgot!'_ She turned to the right, sneaking a peek up at Ichigo but was surprised to find herself looking at the tall gray pillar. "Arei?? Kurosaki-kun?"

"Over here."

She turned around in a full circle before facing the ticket booth where Ichigo was giving her a droll look as he stood second in line. She quickly went over to his side and meekly asked, "Which…movie are you…?" Ichigo give him a slightly confused frown, "You wanted to watch 'Abyss' right?" She immediately raised both her hands and waved them as she replied, "Ah but it's alright if you want to watch something else like…like…Moe Kare or or or…" Orihime quickly tried to remember the name of the horror movie that Tatsuki had told her but her brain was innocently whistling away in a corner, complete with wide innocent eyes.

"It's alright really." He pulled his wallet out from his jeans back pocket as he moved up to the ticket booth. "I've been wanting to watch it too. Though…" He turned to give him a grin, "I'm more of a Jack fan." Her delighted hand clap made his lips twitch up into a bigger grin as she replied, "That suits Kurosaki-kun's choice so well! Jack-sama is so handsome and wonderful! As expected of the hero of the series!"

Ichigo listened to her excited chatter, occasionally contributing with some facts that had her gazing up at him in wonder and delight. He got her a big bucket of popcorn, generously slathered with butter and salt along with drinks before they made their way into the viewing hall. About five minutes into the feature presentation, Ichigo noted in a detached manner that he would have to come again to watch the movie because quite frankly, it was much more fun watching her.

Her eyes were wide open as the movie started. Her hand moving between the popcorn and her lips in an automatic motion but often times just hanging in mid air as her mouth would fall open while staring at the screen. She nearly split the soda twice as she leaned over to tug at his sleeve and ask, "Ne ne, did you see that Kurosaki-kun?" He would nod dumbly before turning briefly towards the screen. Within minutes, a sound of delight from his right side would have him turning towards her.

She was waving her straw in front of her, badly mimicking the character on the screen as he fought with a long sword. She was even quietly encouraging the character, muttering away full speed, "Ah almost had him right there Xarxes-kun! Come at him from the left! Straight punch! Aaah how useful Striker Sigma V would be in this situation."

Ichigo covered his mouth to bite down the chuckles rising in his throat at her last comment before picking up his soda and taking a long drink of the melon soda. He propped the drink back into the drink holder before reaching over towards the popcorn bucket. He failed to take into account that she would reach for the salty treat at the same time and he wound up clutching her fingers rather than a few kernels of popped corn.

Her entire body jerked involuntarily as his fingers grasped her, her own fingers nearly crushing the popcorn that she held between her fingers. Her gaze immediately darted down to stare at their enjoined hands before turning her red face towards his. His own surprised face was staring at his hand before meeting her gaze. He quickly let go of her fingers with a hurried apology before turning towards the movie.

She kept staring at him, tracing the sharp line of his nose, the slight color that remained on his cheeks and his pursed lips. Hesitantly, glancing between the popped corn and his lips, she raised her fingers up towards him, holding out a large piece of popped corn between them.

He noticed the movement from her, turning first his gaze and then his face towards her as she raised the treat up to his lips. An enchanting pink blush was spread over her nose as her trembling fingers slowly came near his lips. He raised his hand to cover hers, bringing his head down to meet their hands half way. He carefully pulled the white food piece out of her lips, fighting with the devil in him as he whispered in his ear to lick her fingers clean. The feel of her fingertips against his lips goaded him on and he gave in, giving her index finger a quick lick – enjoying the salty taste before she pulled her hand away with a high squeak.

He told himself not to smile as she scolded him, her tone and her face filled with embarrassment, "Kurosaki-kun! We can't behave so..so…scandalously in public!"

He leaned over towards her, his arm going around the back of his seat as he murmured to her, "Who was the one who offered me the popcorn in the first place?" Again, he reminded himself _not_ to smile as she hide her face between her hands with a very embarrassed moan and a plea, "Kurosaki-kun, please don't ask such questions!"

His fingers dropped down from the seat to fall on her shoulder, toying with her long hair with his fingers. She raised her head from her hands, turning to see his hand and then slowly turn towards him. He gave her a half tentative and half hopeful smile as he nodded towards the half empty bucket, "Can I have some more?"

She pointed towards the bucket and then towards herself with her mouth open in astonishment before her entire face turned pink. She fidgeted in her seat, her knees rubbing together as she eyed the dark colored paper bucket resting on her thigh high socks. Ichigo was ready to pull away, thinking that maybe he was pushing her too far out of her comfort zone when her fingers slipped down into the bucket.

She held up another piece up to his lips, her blush turning dark red as his lips snagged the treat from her fingers. Both their heads jerked towards the back as a loud "Holy shit!", a yelp and a thumping sound came to their ears. Ichigo looked down into her curious gray eyes before shrugging and turning back to the movie.

Three rows behind and about 20 inches down, (24 inches in Keigo's case), Ikkaku, Yumichika and Keigo crouched behind the seats (or in Keigo's case, lay flat on the floor). Ikkaku was staring at his dark haired friend with horror and shock as he frantically pointed towards the seat and frantically whispered, "TELL me that wasn't Kurosaki _flirting_ with a _girl_ in the middle of a **_cinema_**!" The other man was too shocked to reply, which made Ikkaku grab Keigo from the back of his shirt and hoist him up into a sitting position.

"Oye Asano! What the hell's going on?!"

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"…so I'll be posting the final list of participants for the upcoming contest by tomorrow."

Ichigo glanced up at his club members and all of them had a dark depressive air about them, as though their very life force had been sucked out of them. They were eying him with a mixture of anger and gloominess that made Ichigo feel positively itchy.

He scowled as he slapped his hand on his notebook, "The fuck's wrong with you guys?"

A dark, dismal voice came up from one of the members as he said, "I never thought you'd be like that Kurosaki-senpai."

His brows furrowed further as his scowl deepened in confusion as he said, "Me? What the hell did I do?"

A short round of disbelieving chuckles as another member spoke, "Oh you know very well. Like it wasn't enough to steal away the goddess of our club. Our lovely Inoue-san...."

"Inoue?"Ichigo glanced back towards the inner room before turning back with increased confusion towards his team members, "What's she got to do with this?"

And now the air got so dark that Ichigo could practically make out a dark purple cloud hanging over the boys. Irritating and confused he yelled, "What the hell's wrong with you idiots!"

"KUROSAKI ICHIGO!" A _very_ familiar voice bellowed from outside the clubroom.

"Oh _fuck_!" Ichigo cursed as the faculty adviser of the kendo club stepped into the club room, a wide grin on his face and a kendo sword tapping away against his shoulder. "Finally managed to catch you Ichigo!" Ichigo quickly wondered if he could manage to slide past Zaraki. _'If I can just get past him and get out the door, then I can get away. But how the fuck do I-'_

"I heard you got yourself a girl!"

Ichigo's brain came to a screeching halt, making his brain go screaming through the windshield and splatter against the road. "Excuse me?!"

A pink head popped up from behind Zaraki's left shoulder as she chirpily repeated, "I can't believe that Berry-tan got himself a girlfriend!"

Ichigo gapped at first Zaraki and Yachiru before turning to his club members, _'Did everyone go nuts between last night and today?!'_ He couldn't quite keep his tone level as he asked, "What's it to you?! Who told you that anyways?!"

Yachiru raised a hand up to her mouth as she giggled, "Baldy saw you being all love-love in the cinema last Saturday. I can't believe that Berry-tan could be _that_ forward towards a girl. I always thought you had an allergy towards them."

'_I'm gonna murder that bald headed idiot!'_ Ichigo's face flushed at the thought of someone he knew having watched him and Orihime on their movie date. "Shut the hell up! Stop making up crack assumptions about me!" And then added as an after thought, "Don't call me fucking Berry-tan!"

A loud despondent groan rose from the kyudo club members that had the two intruders and Ichigo turning towards them as a miserable voice spoke up, "He…he was being all love-love with her…in a public place! EATING food from her hand!" Another groan came from the group before a collective wail arose, "He took away our goddess!"

A maniacal grin came to Zaraki's face at the sentence, "A goddess huh? I bet she's a goddess of fighting!"

"We have a fighting goddess in our club?"

All heads turned towards the curious question, Ichigo wishing that he could just grab his girlfriend and run away from the surrounding loonies before he got infected by their stupidity. Orihime was standing before him, holding a few dozen arrows in her arms as she blinked in surprise at the giant man standing before her. Rukia and Renji were standing beside her, each of them fighting back grins as they took in the scene before them.

Orihime turned towards Ichigo's gaze as she repeated her question, "I don't remember meeting any fighting goddess…you don't keep her locked away in that cupboard inside that you told me not to open do you Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo mentally face palmed and wondered where she came up with such crazy ideas (and he reminded himself to clean up all the junk that had accumulated in the spare cupboard). He jumped forward when Rukia suddenly clapped her hand on Orihime's shoulder (nearly making the poor surprised girl drop her load in surprise), "This is his goddess right here!"

"I'm a fighting goddess?" "Shes not my goddess!" "WHY HIM?!" "Why Inoue-chan, WHY?" "This is her?" "She's got big boobies~!"

Renji winced at the sudden clamoring, raising one hand to cover his ear as he muttered, "These idiots belong in the drama club…" But his comment fell on deaf ears as Zaraki and Yachiru stood before Orihime and visually sized her up.

Orihime stared up at the heavily muscled man before giving him a smile and asking, "Ano…can I help you?"

Yachiru dropped down from his shoulder and came to stand before Orihime. She took a slow turn around the busty girl before standing before her, one hand on her chin as her brows furrowed in deep thought. "Ne Ne Ken-chan."

"What you think Yachiru?" Zaraki eyed the pink head critically as she 'hmmm-ed' before the busty girl.

"I don't think Boobie-chan here can fight at all."

'_Boobie….chan?'_ Ichigo never felt a stronger urge to face fault into the floor as he did at that moment. Orihime merely blinked in polite confusion before kneeling before Yacihru and asking, "Ne, Yachiru-chan…"

"Mmmn?" Yacihru turned her gaze towards Orihime's. Orihime gave her a smile and asked, "Would you like some candy?"

Yacihru's eyes grew so big that Ichigo thought that they just may pop out of her head as she all but bounced into Orihime's arms all but singing in delight, "Gimme candy! Gimme candy! Candy Candy Candy~" Orihime laughed at the bouncing pink head before dropping the arrows before her and rummaging through her uniform.

"Ah, hai!" Orihime handed over the small packet of konpeito over to Yachiru who immediately opened it and started munching away on the colorful candy. She clambered back up Zaraki's back and declaring, "I like her Ken-chan!"

Zaraki let out a loud "hmmmm" at Yachiru's comment before crossing his arms and leaning down to stare down Orihime. Her eyes nervously darted to the left and then right, wondering what the giant wanted with her. She jumped slightly as she felt a pair of hands drop on her shoulder and she looked behind to see a scowling Ichigo glaring back at Zaraki.

One beady gold eye meet his fiercely protective gaze and his lips parted in a feral grin as he stated, "That's a good look in your eyes Ichigo! You look like you're ready to fight for your woman!" And stating that, he turned towards Orihime, "Oye woman! Y' know how to fight?" Orihime looking nervously at Ichigo before stating, "err, yes? My friend says that I'm easily a black belt level in karate...though I haven't gone through the tests..."

Yachiru spoke through a mouth full of sugar, "Then why don't you beat away Berry-tan for forcing you into a relationship?"

Orihime blinked in surprise at the query, again sharing a confused look with the orange head as he frowned and asked, "What's this crap about?"

Completely ignoring the confused couple, Yachiru turned towards Zaraki and chirpily asked, "If she can defend herself then it's not possible that Berry-tan threatened the new campus princess to being his sex slave ne, Ken-chan?"

Both red heads turned completely red as the murmurs grew more pronounced from the club members. Their various comments plain enough to hear. "I heard that he threatened to hurt her if she didn't go out with him." "I heard that he paid some guy in the bad side of town to do some spell so he could land her." "I heard that he used his connections with the yakuza to threaten her." "Yeah I heard that too! That he'd evict her and her sick brother and then pimp her out if she didn't go out with him!"

Ichigo turned his red face towards his club members before roaring at them, "Shut the _fuck_ up you freaking idiots! I liked her so I just frickin asked her out! I didn't threaten her! I don't know anyone in the yakuza and I don't _need_ to use magic to get a girl!" He turned his extremely pissed off gaze at the grinning pink haired girl on the hulking figure's shoulder, "And you…she's _not_ my sex slave!"

Yachiru gave him an unrepentant grin as she asked, "Eeeeh~? So you haven't slept with her yet? Poor Berry-tan~~"

"THAT'S IT!" Ichigo darted past his girlfriend ("AH! Kurosaki-kun!") and attempted to grab the giggling pink haired girl as she dropped down Zaraki's shoulder and dashed past the stunned students and outside. Worried for her boyfriend, Orihime followed the pair (closely followed by the rest of the club members). She stood in the doorway, biting her lower lip and wondering how she could stop her boyfriend from possibly beating up an innocent child.

She looked up at Zaraki as he came out the building and stared with bored eyes at a yelling and fuming Ichigo chasing after a laughing Yachiru. "Ano…Zaraki-san…" He turned his bored gaze down to hers as she hesitantly mumbled, "Shouldn't we….stop Kurosaki-kun?"

A lazy eyebrow was raised in response, "What for?" Orihime glanced at Yachiru who was cheerfully poking Ichigo's thigh as he got stuck in a thick green hedge, swearing at the top of his voice. "Well…I'm worried he may hurt Yachiru-chan."

He lazily scratched his back with his kendo sword as he replied, "Aaaah don't worry bout that. He'll never be able to beat her. She's way too fast for him. Besides, she'd make his class hell if he'd beat her."

"Eh? Make his class…hell?" Orihime frowned in confusion up at Zaraki. "I don't understand." Zaraki gave her a feral grin, "Oh you didn't know? Yachiru is an associate professor here. She got two courses with Kurosaki this year." His grin widened as her mouth dropped open in surprise only to stare away at the pink haired girl as she came bouncing back to jump onto Zaraki's shoulder. "Ken-chan, its almost time for your class."

"Oh?" Zaraki turned towards Orihime and patted her on the back (making her gasp in surprise and pain at the hard pats) as he said, "Woman. Take care of this idiot. And make sure to stock up on the bandages. Next time I come, I'm gonna beat his sorry ass and make him join the kendo club!"

Ichigo came up to Orihime, panting and sweating heavily. He very nearly fell into Orihime as Zaraki gave him a hard whack between the shoulder blades as he walked away. Yachiru merrily waved her hand, "Bye bye Berry-tan, Boobie-chan!"

Ichigo wondered if this was what a deflated soufflé felt like. Fluffing up so much but then all the heat just floating away as the pastry expanded too much. He very much felt like keeling over face first on the gray concrete before him as he watched the spiky haired giant walk away.

He eyed Orihime as she stared away with a slightly open mouth. Ichigo braced himself for some comment that he associated himself with lunatics when she turned to him with a big bright smile on her face as she said, "Zaraki-san is so much more nicer than you said he was Kurosaku-kun! And you never mentioned that he wears an eye-patch! It makes him look so cool!"

Ichigo could only let out a weak laugh, '_I need a drink….'_

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**Well that was extra ordinarily fun~! :D**

**And if you don't know 'Moe Kare' SHAME ON YOU! Go and read that RIGHT NOW! *points towards random online manga reading site* NAO!  
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**Nikuman and anman scene yoinked from Kimi ni Todoke and Kevin Regnard aka Xarxes Break from Pandora Hearts. Which is MAJORLY kool.**

**HOMIGOSH! I'm near 150 reviews DX MY fic?! With THAT many reviews? I can't believe the day!**


	11. Tending to the Ill

**I have nothing witty to say at this hour so I'll just thank my two awesome fabulous beta readers, Thail and Setsuken/Hassan and also my two dear test readers, Amar and copper. You four are too awesome. TOO awesome! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach. Wish I did. Then Orihime and Ichigo would be canon since WAY long ago~ And I don't own all the references I made in this chapter either!**

**FRAKKING HELL D: Over 160 reviews! I never thought I'd be able to get that many reviews, EVER! D: I am bowled over completely! Thanks you all SO much!**

**Edit: ACK! SO . MANY. MISTAKES in this chapter *rushes to fix*  
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**~ C h a p t e r 1 1~**

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Ichigo fuzzily wondered who Renji was talking too as sleep clouded his muddled brain. He raised his hand up to his head, touching the cool, wet towel before attempted to sit up. Almost immediately he was hit with a dizzy spell that had him falling back on his hot pillow with a groan.

If there was one thing that Kurosaki Ichigo hated (even more than his privacy being invaded by nitwit friends) it was being sick with a cold and fever. He hated the accompanying weakness, the constant fuzzy headedness, the irritated throat, the harsh coughing and most of all, the way it made him weak and dependent on others.

He placed the wet towel back on his forehead, sighing as he realized that it was quickly becoming warm thanks to his fever. He closed his eyes and let the conversation from outside drift over his head, half listening to his roommate's brusque voice as he instructed the other person. "The medicines are by the bed side table. He's gotta take the fever medicine again in another…hour but you gotta give him something to eat before that. Congee would be best but don't give him any pickled radishes with it, he hates that."

Sleepily Ichigo wondered who Renji, _'Who is he telling all this too?'_ Part of him felt guilty that he had wound up with a fever promptly after handing in his final mid-term exam and had to be taken care of by Renji. The long haired man had broken off plans already made with Rukia in order to take care of his roommate. _'Maybe Rukia?' _he pondered as a soft, inaudible murmuring slipped in from the slightly open door.

Renji's familiar voice again came up, this time it sounded farther away from the door, "Na no need. I just wiped him down with a towel and changed his clothes so he should be good for the night. Also…"

Ichigo raised his dark blanket and blearily glanced down at his white tee, _'Huh…that's weird…I don't remember Renji helping me change…this fevers really got me out for a loop.' _Ichigo reached out for the tissue box, plucking the soft material out and blowing his nose in an attempt to clear his sinuses. He coughed harshly, tossing the used tissue beside his pillow. _'Ah jeez, I can take the damn fever but why the damn sore throat? I wish someone would just knock me out cause if I swallow one more time and feel that irritatin-'_

The door to his bedroom slowly opened, shaking him out of his half-conscious state that he hadn't realized he had slipped into. The strip of light widened, making him squint as he turned to face the door, wondering who it was. "Renji? S' that you?" Ichigo coughed again, hating the way his voice sounded more like a croak than anything else.

"Are you awake Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo flinched as the light was turned on and he blinked before turning to face the highly familiar voice that came to sit beside his low bed. "Inoue…What…?" Her hands went up to the towel on his forehead, dipping it in the shallow bowl placed on his bedside table as she replied back in her soft voice, "I offered to look after you for a few hours so that Renji-kun could meet up with Rukia-chan." Ichigo muddled mind wondered, _'Since when did those two become Renji-kun and Rukia-chan?'_

He watched as she wrung the cloth out, holding it in one hand as she gently brushed his bangs off his forehead. He closed his eyes at the feathery touch, enjoying the feel of her cool fingertips on his forehead. He let out a small sigh of relief as she placed the cool towel on his forehead, _'Oh that feels good…'_

Her fingers ran over the cool cloth once before dropped down to her side as she asked in a gentle tone, "Do you feel well enough to eat anything?" If he was completely honest, the thought of having to shovel food down his gullet sounded as appealing as chewing on a cactus on a regular day but instead he stared blearily at the blue alarm clock on his bed side, "S' time for the medicine already?"

He pushed the wet cloth of his forehead as he put his weight on his elbows, raising himself up. Orihime moved forward to help him sit up as he raised himself up into a sitting position. She arranged the pillow behind him, pulling the blanket over his lap before she placed the small tray over his lap. Ichigo blinked in surprise at the rice gruel, ginger tea, apple and dried plums sitting innocently enough on the dark tray. He pointed weakly at the porridge and asked, "You made this?"

She nodded, her expression showing her nervousness as she replied, "I asked Tatsuki-chan's mother for help because I've never made congee before." _'Which means that its just normal gruel. Thank God. Then again, my taste buds are shot to hell so she could slip dirt in here and I wouldn't be able to catch it.'_

Ichigo picked up the deep spoon before eyeing the deep dish before him, suddenly noticing the slightly singed edges of the dish. He stared at the burnt edges of the porridge before glancing up at her. She blushed and raised a hand up behind her head as she let out a self-conscious laugh, "ehehe, I think I over cooked it a little to be honest."

Ichigo spooned some of the gruel into the spoon, blowing over the hot food before tentatively popping it into his mouth. As he swallowed, Orihime timidly asked, "How is it?" Ichigo turned to see her tightly fisting his bed sheet underneath her hands as her wide eyes were looking up at him. He nodded in approval, "It's good."

As he moved to take another spoonful, this time picking up some of the burnt part, Orihime peered at him dubiously. "Really?"

Ichigo was blowing on the second spoonful as he gave her as dry a look as he could manage, "I don't lie y' know." Under her watchful gaze, he finished the small amount of porridge she had made before devouring the dried plums. But at the apple, he had stopped and stared at the fruit for a long moment before asking, "What's this?"

She picked up the second spoon, cutting into the soft flesh of the fruit as she replied, "Apple boiled in ginger tea with honey. It helps sooth sore throats. Onii-chan always makes this for me when I catch a cold. Hai…." Ichigo stared at the spoon hovering before his lips before leaning forward to take the sweet fruit offered. He had to admit, the honey really did have an immediate soothing effect on his throat.

She handed over the spoon with a smile as he gestured for it, finishing the apple with a gusto that surprised her given his current state. She took out his medicine, pouring some water into the nearby glass as he placed the spoon back into the now empty plate and let out a content sigh. He gave a disgruntled look at the tablet in her hand, "Here you go, Kurosaki-kun."

He took the proffered medicine and water before quickly swallowing the tablet, nearly finishing the water in the glass before slamming it down on the tray. Orihime stared at his dark countenance before asking gingerly, "You don't like taking tablets?"

Ichigo glared at the medicine resting his bedside table, "Yeah. I hate it when it gets stuck in the back of my throat and it happens every fucking time." He grimaced at his slip before muttering a quick apology. "Sorry. Didn't mean to curse like that." Orihime shook her hand, "Oh no its alright! It's a part of who you are. I'll take that..."

Ichigo stared at her as she stood up and plucked the tray out of his lap and went out the room. _'How did I wind up with a girl like her?'_ He could make out the faint sounds of cutlery clinking together as she most likely placed the dirty dishes in the wash basin. _'What does a girl like her see in a guy like me?' _ Ichigo wondered as he heard her soft footsteps grow louder before she stepped back into the room. "I think you should lie down Kurosaki-kun. The more you sleep the quicker you can get well."

He didn't put up any argument as she pushed him down on the bed, straightening the pillow underneath his head and the blanket over him as he just stared at her as she went about her task. _'She's so sweet and…just…so…kind and innocent. What the hell does she see in me?'_ "Yosh! You're set for some good snooze's now! All you have to do now is to call the Sandman so that he can send you off to dreamland!"

'_She cares so much for people. She cares more for her friends and family than anyone else I know…'_ She was getting up now, moving away from his bedside. A sudden sense of impending loss had Ichigo move his hand out from under his blanket and reach out to grasp her wrist. He wound up catching her fingers between his fevered hands.

He stared up at her, tongued tied as she gave him a bewildered and curious glance. He tugged at her hand, pulling her closer to him as he managed to spit out, "Stay."

Her eyes softened, a gentle look in those big gray eyes as she returned to her seat beside his bed. _'She's smart and okay, a bit of a klutz. And a big space case at times but…her heart is bigger than anyone else I've known in my whole life.' _ He threaded his fingers through hers, tightly holding her small hand against his as she sat down on the floor. _'So how come she's here with me?'_

"You shouldn't have come y' know."

A slightly hurt look flashed in her eyes as she asked, "I shouldn't have?"

He turned his face around to cough before stating, "You'll catch my cold."

Orihime felt a small, comforting pool of heat form in her chest and spread as she stared down at Ichigo as he coughed into his pillow. _'Even when he's ill, he's still thinking of me and my well being.'_ The thought that he was still looking out for her, made her feel embarrassed and elated at the same time.

She let out a nervous laugh, her hand twitching nervously underneath his as she rambled, "Oh no no. I-its alright really! I n-never a catch a cold! I even tried to but I couldn't catch one! E-even when I would go out in the middle of January with just one coat on!" She raised her hand up, waving it as she stammered, "And it's the least I could do being your…your…" She looked down at the ground before mumbling, "girlfriend."

Ichigo watched as she suddenly raised her head, her eyes reflecting her seriousness as she suddenly changed the topic and went at it al full speed, "I-I-In any case! I have to make sure that the monsters don't get you! Did you know Kurosaki-kun that there are all kinds of monsters out there and not just under your bed? They have monthly targets to meet on the people to scare and which to take away and a lot of them wait for kids to get sick so that they can take them away!"

She waggled a finger at the space under his bed before she looked back up at him, "So I'm here to take counter measures against those sneaky four eyed, five footed monsters so that they won't take you away!"

She looked up at him, wondering if how he had taken her nervous rambling. He was looking at her steadily, a slow relaxing smile on his lips as he watched her. He wondered if the slight ache in his chest as a result of the food he had eaten or at her words. He cleared his throat and rolled over, letting go of her hand as he mumbled, "Sorry…Need t' sleep."

"Ah hai. I'll go do the dishes." She stood up, smoothing out the wrinkled on her dress as she straightened up. "Please call me if you need anything." The only response she got was a sleepy affirmative as she closed the lights and moved into the kitchen.

As quietly as she could manage, she cleaned up the used dishes. As she was drying clean the last plate, her eyes fell on the grocery bag resting on the counter. _'Ah! I forgot the energy drink!' _She pulled out the small dark colored bottle before tip toeing over into his room. Part of her felt utterly scandalized that she was alone with her boyfriend in his apartment but another part of her was utterly delighted at the prospect of nursing her boyfriend back to health.

She slowly pulled the door open, peeking into the door as she asked quietly, "Kurosaki-kun?" The huddled up figure didn't budge even a centimeter as she slipped into the room and sneaked over to his side. He was facing away from the door, bed sheets tangled up around his chest as he snoozed away. She gingerly placed her hand over his forehead, inwardly praying with her all her might that he wouldn't wake up at her touch, _'His forehead is still so hot.'_

She dipped her hand into the shallow water basin, _'I should put in more ice…this water is already warm.' _She picked up the bowl before leaving the room to return to the kitchen. She poured out the used water before filling it up with fresh tap water. She opened the fridge, peeking into the freezer compartment and wondering, _'Where are the ice cube tra….Ah there they are.'_

She pulled out one tray and was happy to see that they were solid blocks of ice instead of half-water and half-ice. Closing the compartment, she quickly removed the ice from its container before dropping them into the water. She slipped the empty container to the side before picked up the basin again and returned to Ichigo's room.

As she placed the water basin on the small bed side table, Ichigo turned over on his back, making Orihime jump back in surprise. She was ready to launch into a string of apologies and explanations in case she had woken him up but instead, he slept on. She placed a hand on her face and let out a relieved sigh. _'Calm down Orihime! No need to be so jittery and nervous over every little thing!'_

She knelt beside his bed, picking up the damp terrycloth towel before dipping it into the cold water. She let the cloth soak the cold water thoroughly before taking it out and wringing it out. She couldn't help the small giggle that came out as she realized that he was scowling even in his sleep. _'Kurosaki-kun is so cute when he scowls!'_

A tad guiltily, she let her wet fingertips trace his scowling forehead. Her fingers going over his furrowed brows and scowls lines before they faded away underneath her feathery touch. As a small sigh came out from his lips, she hurriedly placed the cold towel on his forehead as a dark blush came over her cheeks. A small incoherent murmur left his lips before he pulled the blankets over his face. Orihime blinked in surprise before making sure that the towel was still in place on his forehead.

She sat back down on her haunches, staring at his sleeping form for a few moments before her gaze drifted away to take in his room. It was not as she had imagined it would be. She had imagined that his room would be filled with stacks of books (Ichigo had confessed to having a soft spot for literature, particularly works by Matsuo Bashou, Usami Akihiko and Shakespeare), there would be posters of rock bands on the walls (she had tugged at the ear plug wire, asking him to turn the volume down lest he should ruin his ears but he had merely pushed the ear plug into her ear with a grin and a "But you can't listen to songs like this on low volume". She had granted him that fact but didn't find herself very fond of Detroit Metal City) and she had expected the room to be a bit of a cluttered mess.

Instead there were no posters of any kind on the walls. Across from the bed were two big bookshelves, almost over flowing with books. Adjacent to the bookshelves was a study table, littered with books and paper and on space above, was a board with pictures and notes tacked up on it. She glanced down once more at Ichigo before quietly getting up and walking over to the board.

She squinted at the board, unable to clearly make out the faces or the notes. _'Ah! My cell phone!'_ Her hands dove into the pockets of her short denim jacket, _'Did I leave it in my bag? I think I-ah!'_ she triumphantly pulled her cell phone out, striking a victory pose before nervously sneaking another peek at the slumbering figure. She sighed in relief that he hadn't seen her silliness before flipping the phone open and turning the camera's flash on.

The harsh white light reflected back many faces and hastily scribbled notes. Her eyes darted from one picture to another, her gaze earnest and hungry as she sought to learn more about her boyfriend. Many of the faces she could recognize. _'Ah, that's Renji-kun and Shuuhei-kun! Waaaa~ they look so young in this picture! Wow...they both got their tattoos back in highschool! Oh is that Rukia-chan? She looks so good in that uniform. Isn't that the uniform for Kouyouen Private Academy?! Uwa, how intimidating. Oh this must be Kurosaki-kun's family!' _

She shifted her cell phone so that its light was falling on the family photograph, _'These must be his little sister's that he talked about. Is that…his father? I wonder how he got smashed face first into the wall like that…' _ She tilted her head slightly as she pondered on that thought, her eyes lingering on the picture before drifting to the picture right beside it.

She was surprised to see that this picture was laminated. Her eyes quickly roved the rest of the board and realized that no other picture had been given this extra special care. Curiously she leaned to take a closer look at the picture. _'She's pretty.' _She had long wavy hair curling around her slim shoulders as she tightly hugged the small grinning boy in her arms. _'Is this…Kurosaki-kun's mother? She really is so beautiful!'_ She raised a hand up to her mouth to stifle the sound of her giggles as she thought, _'And Kurosaki-kun looks so adorable in this picture! I wonder why he thinks that he looks weird when he smiles.'_

Her smile widened as she took in picture after picture. Her hand moved the cell phone over the board slowly, her eyes following the path slowly and then she saw it. Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her cell phone in surprise as she espied a very familiar face. She felt her face heat up as she saw a picture of herself tacked on the board. _'Isn't this the picture Rukia-chan took of me?! When did she give it to Kurosaki-kun?!' _She stared at her own smiling countenance; half hoping that she could glean some answer from the still picture.

She let out a surprised squeak and dropped her cell as Ichigo let out a soft groan. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth as she turned around to see if her squeal or the proceeding thud had woken Ichigo up from his sleep. She stood there, clasping her mouth and staring with wide eyes at his sleeping figure that slumbered on. Her hands dropped to her chest, a relieved sigh slipping out from her lips before she looked down, _'Where did it- ah there it is!'_

She ducked down under the table to grab her cell phone. _'Looks like the dust bunnies are having a proper tea party here. I wonder who does the cleaning for Kurosaki-kun and Renji-kun. They have a very lax dust bunny policy. I wonder where they keep th-!'_

The loud *kin-kon* of the door bell had Orihime jerking upwards in alarm, her head smacking into the table as she completely forgot her location in surprise. _'ITA~!'_ She shuffled outwards, her hands cradling her throbbing head as tears came to her eyes. _'I've got an owie now.'_ Grasping her cell phone in one hand and taking support of the table, she slowly stood up.

"Izzat someone at t' door?" Ichigo's sleepy inquiry cutting into the silence.

Orihime rubbed her head "Eh? Ah yes. Please rest Kurosaki-kun. I'll take care of it." He sleepily thanked her and she was grateful that he hadn't asked what the loud *thunk* sound had been. She could just imagine the frown on his face if she had told him that she had accidentally banged her head into his table. She shuffled out of the room, day dreaming about what Ichigo's response would have been.

'_He would scowl at me and scold me at the same time before asking me where I got. And then I bet he would go to get the first aid kit only to realize that someone had stolen it from his bathroom. And that would make Kurosaki-kun become a detective! His main objective being to find out who stole his first aid kit while helping stray parrots out of trees, grandparents to find their lost hamsters and lost charms find their way back home! And he would wear the cool leather coat with army boots that go *stomp stomp stomp*!'_

As she reached the door, she giggled behind her hand, _'Kakoi~! Detective Kurosaki Ichigo!' _ The doorbell ringing again made her call out, "Hai Hai!" She twisted the lock before swinging the door open, "Irrashaimasen!" *wham* "ITA!"

'_Ita?' _ Orihime peered up at the tall pale faced man standing before her (_'Wow. This person would make a good clown. Except he'd be a sad clown with tear streaks instead of a happy clown.'_) only, he was very coolly looking to his right where a very loud voice cursed, "The fuck, Kurosaki?!" Orihime quickly stepped forward, peeking from behind the door to see who let out the expletive.

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo sleepily sat up in his bed, pulling the damp towel off his forehead as the loud voices and laughter from outside the room filtered into his sleep muddled brain. _'Who the hell is that? Is Renji back already?' _ Not wanting to risk getting a headache, he slowly pushed the futon off his body. He noted with a certain degree of relief that the stiff ache in his legs had all but disappeared, as he stood up fully.

He kept his left hand on the far wall, his palm resting on it as he shuffled forward towards the closed door. He could make out the muffled sound of Orihime's surprised exclamation as the other voice, decidedly male, retorted by with a long comment. _'That doesn't sound like Renji. Then who the fuck is she talking with?'_

Ichigo quickly opened the door, wincing at the harsh light before his gaze landed on the trip sitting on the dining table, eating rice crackers and drinking tea. Neither of the three had noticed that their conversation was being eaves dropped on and Grimmjow carried on.

"I'm not kidding you! He got stinking drunk on our graduation trip to Tokyo. He climbed that statue of…whats the name of it Ulquiorra? The loyal dog one?"

The green eyes man calmly took a sip of his tea before replying, "Hachiko."

Orihime's eyes were wide open in shock and surprise, "He climbed that?! Why?"

Grimmjow gave her a wide grin, "We dared him too. Stupid idiot was drunk enough to do it too. _For free_. Usually we'd have to pay him something but man that was a great trip. The next day he had such a killer headache, he kept cursing us all the way back."

Ulquiorra very calmly raised his cup up to his lips before he commented, "You are forgetting the Tokyo Tower incident."

Orihime's gaze ticked to Ulquiorra's immediately, her voice dripping with curiosity as she asked, "What happened at Tokyo Tower?"

Grimmjow chortled with laughter, "Damn how could I forget that!" He waved his hand, indicating for Orihime to lean in as he spoke, "We went to Tokyo Tower right? And we're waiting for our turn to go up when Ichigo suddenly gets it into his head that, he can't stand the sight of it. So what does he do? He runs up to the base of it, and starts humping against it. And he's yelling out 'This tower is my bitch!'"

Orihime's face turned pink. And then she jumped out of her seat when Ichigo loudly slammed the door (immediately regretting it as the loud sound caused a stab of pain to go through his head) and yelled, "I didn't do any of that shit! Stop making shit up and feeding it to people!"

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime immediately went up to him, her hand resting on his arm as he rubbed his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? You should have called me if you wanted anything."

Grimmjow cheerfully raised his cup at the darkly scowling orange head, "Yo Kurosaki! Heard you were ill and we were in the neighborhood so we thought we'd swing by!"

"How kind of you!" Ichigo groused in a mock sweet tone. "So nice of you to stop by and tell my girlfriend all sorts of cock and bull stories!"

"Eh? They aren't real?" Orihime looked in askance at first Grimmjow and then Ichigo. "You didn't run around Shibuya in a Stormtrooper's costume while doing the Para Para?" Ichigo rolled his eyes, "No I didn't!"

"Ja, you didn't run around Akihabara in a maid costumer either?" Ichigo glared at Grimmjow, "No. No I didn't!" Her face turned slightly pink again as she hesitantly asked, "Err…then…the Tokyo Tower…you didn't…?"

Ichigo's face turned slightly red as he ground out, as patiently and as calmly as he could manage, "No. This jackass over here..." Ichigo pointed at a chuckling Grimmjow, "made all that up."

Ulquiorra's low voice spoke up, "But you did get drunk on that trip."

Grimmjow's all too cheerful continuation made Ichigo want to smash his grinning face into the nearest wall, "Yeah that part was true. Our little princess here used to be a _very_ light drunk. He used to get drunk on a glass of sake. BUT!" Grimmjow raised a finger, his expression serious as he met Orihime's curious gaze. "He had worked hard in order to improve himself and now he gets completely smashed on _three_ whole _bottles_ of sake! He had worked hard indeed!"

Leaning slightly on Orihime, Ichigo shuffled over to the table. He rolled his eyes as Grimmjow kept chuckling into his cup. _'And that bastard Ulquiorra is even smiling! Why the hell does everyone see this as a chance to hit me while I'm down? Oh I can't wait to get back at these idiots when I get the chance!'_

Ichigo heatedly retorted, "Atleast I don't start singing _enka_ when I'm drunk!" Grimmjow slammed his cup into the table before growling, "There is nothing wrong with enka!" Ichigo smirked weakly, "Oh yeah sure. If you weren't born in the 60's, then it's totally alright. Old man." Orihime's gaze was ticking between Grimmjow and Ichigo as though she was watchinga tennis match and she fretfully wondered, _'This can't be good for Kurosaki-kun's fever...'_

"Now you listen here you idiot strawberry head, enka is…" Grimmjow stopped mid sentence when Ulquiorra pulled out his cell phone. "Who is it? Is it Nel? If it is, I'm not here!" Ulquiorra gave him a cold glance before excusing himself out the room. _'Honestly, how can these two idiots always fight every time we meet. They are not normal.'_

"Yo Ulquiorra!" The dark haired man looked up at the greeting, bending his head slightly as Renji closed the front door behind him. "Here for a visit? And hello…" Renji stared down at the black boots innocently sitting beside the low heeled slippers. "Who else is here?"

"Grimmjow. If you'll excuse me, I have to take this call." Renji nodded, pushing the door open, "Yeah sure, go ahead." He watched as the tall man raised the cell phone up to his ear as he slipped his feet back into his dark loafers before slipping outside. Renji pushed his shoes off, taking care to set them neatly on the side before he padded down the short hallway.

'_Why did I bother asking who else was here? No one else argues with Ichigo this much but Grimmjow.'_ Renji sighed as he rounded the corner to see a completely nervous Orihime moving her head back and forth between an extremely peeved Grimmjow and an irate Ichigo as they argued heatedly. _'And I wonder what's the topic of today's argument.'_

"You take that back bout ABS or else I'm gonna dye your hair pink like I did in high school!"

Grimmjow scoffed at the threat "Like hell I am! Those wanna-be's have about as much culture and talent as a fish with a guitar!"

Orihime's worried gaze suddenly landed on Renji's and she stood up suddenly, her chair loudly grazing against the flooring as she all but yelled out in relief, "Renji-kun! Okairinisai! How was your date?"

"It was good, thanks." He let out a sigh as he noted that the two rivals were two statements away from resuming their debate when he cut in, asking Ichigo "You feeling any better or still feel like shit?"

Ichigo jerked his thumb towards Grimmjow, "I was feeling fine till I found out that he was spewing all sorts of bullshit stories about me to Inoue." Renji grinned, "Really?" He turned towards Grimmjow, "Do tell!"

Ichigo groaned and was saved further embarrassment when Ulquiorra re-entered the room. "Grimmjow. We have to head back to the office." Grimmjow scowled, "What happened?" "The client from Fukuya Corporation is due to arrive in another hour and Neliel wishes for you to go over some data before the meeting."

"Keh. Attitude like that makes me wonder who the hell the boss of the company is." Grimmjow picked up his jacket, draining his cup before placing his cup back on the table. He looked down at Orihime as he spoke, "It was great to finally meet you. I had wanted to meet the woman who had this nitwit by the balls."

Ichigo grimaced and face palmed, irritating welling up in him as he ground out, "Would you just fucking leave already?!" Ichigo watched as the smug faced man and his companion were escorted out by a bemused Renji before he turned his gaze towards his very pink faced girlfriend. "Sorry about that."

Her gaze darted up to meet his, her hands coming up from out of her lap as she waved them in front of her, "Oh no it's alright really. Kurosaki-kun's friends are so much fun so there really isn't any reason for you to apologize."

"But they're crude idiots." Ichigo's spoke as though he was explaining that two and two together was four. It was an obvious fact of life. Much like the sky is blue, the grass is green and chocolate is the most delicious treat on Earth.

Renji's dry voice retorted, "Nice to know what you think of us. We think the same thing about you." Renji came to stand behind Ichigo as Orihime stood up from her seat. "I should be heading back now. I told onii-chan that I'll be back by six."

Ichigo stood up, "I'll walk you out." Renji watched as his roommate shuffled out of the room with his girlfriend, who was fretting over him all the way. He sat down in the abandoned chair, one hand scratching the back of his head as his mind wandered back to the conversation he had with Rukia just a few short hours ago.

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_Renji. You have to tell Ichigo to be careful."_

_Renji stood his attempt to take a bite of his spaghetti as he turned his puzzled gaze towards the dark haired girl. "Be careful? For what?"_

_Rukia poked the pasta on her plate as she quietly answered his query, "You know how Ichigo beat up Toki for trying to hit on Orihime right?" Renji nodded, it had become the talk of the campus and it was more or less an open secret really even though Toki had refused to tell who had landed him in the hospital._

_Rukia's worried gaze met his as she spoke, "I heard a few days ago that Toki had…or has a girlfriend and he told her some weird story that Orihime tried to sleep with him but he rejected her and then she got Ichigo to beat him up." Renji's brows furrowed in confusion, "What's that got to do…"_

_Rukia let out a frustrated sigh, "I heard that she's out to get even with both Ichigo _and _Orihime! What was her name…." Renji watched as Rukia tapped her forehead with a finger, mumbling underneath her breath as she strove to remember the name of the girl. "Ah!" She looked up at him, "Ueda Midori! That's the name of the girl."_

"_Ueda Midori?" Renji repeated the name, trying to commit it to memory. "I'll tell Ichigo to keep an eye out then. And maybe ask some of the guys from the club too." Rukia gave him a relieved and grateful smile as she took hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze._

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"What's up with you?"

Renji looked up at Ichigo, who was giving him a puzzled look. Renji pointed at the chair, "Sit your ass down. I gotta tell you something."

* * *

**Did you manage to catch all the references? I kinda went nuts with em in this chapter XD Junjou Romantica, Detroit Metal City (in two places), a little bit of Lovenista (shoujo manga)**, **The Melancholy/The Dissapearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Johnny Choo (youtube him) and Abingdon Boys School**.

**and HARK! The plot of afoot! D: Be careful not to step on its tail please...its a tad touchy bout that.**

**Reviews get me smiling and chuckling and roffling in my seat! :D **


	12. Summer Festivals

**THIS is what I've been waiting to write since I started this fic. *bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation* **

**Disclaimer: If you can recognize it, I don't own it. **

**This story is now officially 100 pages in my MS Word (with Calibri font 11) and 49, 646 words. WOOOHOOO! GO ME! :D**

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**~ C h a p t e r 1 2 ~**

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Although storm clouds were starting to gather towards the East (making a few people look up and mumble in concern), majority of the crowd couldn't care less about the weather and were more preoccupied with fully enjoying the summer festival and fireworks.

Families with children strolled along at an easy pace as the young ones excitedly chattered. A group of girls were giggling and exclaiming over their yukata's before moving on towards the main festival area. They were followed by an older group of high school boys and girls who were laughing and snapping pictures of each other as they played with the face masks they had bought. There was a general air of merriment and fun in the air that could not be dampened.

However, this same air of fun was not present at the entrance of the park where three men waited. One of them was scowling away at the dark clouds gathering. The other two were leaning against the back of the bench as one of them pulled out a box of cigarettes before offering it to his dark haired companion.

Ichigo shifted his gaze down to see Renji shrug at Shuuhei before pulling out a cigarette and placing it in between his lips. "I thought you quit."

Renji pulled out a lighter, his cupped hand muffling his voice as he replied, "I'm _cutting down_ on my nicotine intake." He took in a deep breath before exhaling, the light gray smoke drifting away with the breeze as he continued, "I'm already down to two a day."

Ichigo muttered underneath his breath, "Rukia's _really_ got you on a short leash." Thankfully the comment didn't carry to Renji's ears as he took another puff from his cigarette before he hastily snuffed it out and tossed it into the nearby garbage. "They're here."

Ichigo craned his neck to stare over the rather large group of teens that was walking up to them as he asked, "Where?" Shuuhei came to stand beside him, his eyes were scanning the crowd in a similar manner before he let out a small sound of success, "Behind the old lady wearing the purple yukata with white flowers."

Ichigo was about to ask again when he caught a glimpse of a Orihime's ginger hair. Suddenly, the voice of the crowd faded around him as he focused all his attention on the girl who was walking up to him. Her slim, curvy figure was demurely covered by the palest pink yukata he had seen. The branching sakura design went all the way down to the hem of the cloth, the large flowers blossoming in a deep red and gentle blush pink.

Her long hair had been twisted up into a knot at the side of her head, the wisps of hair brushing against her cheeks as she laughed at some comment the other redhead had made. At that Ichigo suddenly did a double take as Renji exclaimed Shuuhei. "_SHE_ is your date?!' The dark haired man grinned in pride, "Yeah."

Renji let out a low whistle of appreciation as Ichigo shook his head and said, "Damn…" _'I didn't think it was possible for a woman to have _that_ big breasts…'_ He stared momentarily at the exposed cleavage before he decided that breasts _that_ big…scared him just a little bit. _'There really is such a thing as 'too big' after all.'_

And then his gaze met Orihime's. Her eyes immediately brightened and she called out, "Kurosaki-kun~!" before picking up her pace. He watched with a growing smile as she came to stand before him, her face rosy pink as she greeted him, "Konbanwa!"

"Yeah." He let him eyes roam her figure, moving down slowly before he dragged his eyes back up as he finished his lazy perusal. She fidgeted slightly underneath his gaze and then more so when he murmured, "You look…"

Her eyes searched his quietly as he seemed to struggle for words. They darted down to his lips as his tongue licked his lips before hiding itself from her curious gaze. He swallowed, his throat drying up at the heavy look in her eyes as he completed his sentence, "You look…really…pretty."

He mentally kicked himself, a voice in his head sardonically berating him _'Is that the damn best you can come up with Mr. Journalism Student? Sixteen year old girls could come up with better compliments than that!'_ The sad fact was that he was in complete agreement with that voice (that sounded way too suspiciously like his dads).

"Eeeeeh~ what a let down~! Here I was expecting someone more good looking!" Rangiku glomped Orihime from behind, her full lips turned up in a deep pout as she looked up at Ichigo ('"Waah! Rangiku-san!") Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the woman, "I'm sorry?"

Rangiku raised a finger to her lips, "Well I had thought that it must be a _realllly_ amazing guy that managed to win over our dear Orihime-chan's heart. I never expected that the scowling two time winner of the Regional Kyudo Championship's, who is known throughout campus for having a temper worse than Oni-Kamijou, would be that guy." ("Rangiku-san! Its getting hard to breath! Can you please let me go?")

Ichigo eyed the busty red head before he firmly pulled Orihime out of her grasp and said, "Sorry if I don't live up to your expectations." He looked down at Orihime and asked, "You alright?" Orihime took in several much needed breaths before nodding and opening her eyes. She started underneath his hands as she noticed their close proximity, forcing herself not to fidget as he eyed her closely before letting one of his hands slide down her arm.

Ichigo grasped her soft hand firmly before stating, "We're heading in then. See y' guys."

Orihime turned around to look back at the receding figures of Renji and Rukia (both of whom had very amused looks on their faces), Rangiku (who was giggling into her hand) and Shuuhei (who was shaking his head from side to side). "Ku-kurosaki-kun! I-is it really alright to just go off on our own?!"

Ichigo turned his head around to look behind him before he looked down at Orihime. "You were the one who said that she wanted to come to the festival with me." He jerked a thumb back, "_They_ are just tagging along after they heard about it. So let's enjoy our date and let them enjoy theirs."

He was struck with the urge to tease the gentle girl slightly and he pulled his hand away from hers. "Unless you'd rather spend today with them instead of with me..." He looked away, pretending as though his feelings were hurt. But in actuality, what he was feeling as fond amusement as Orihime's eyes widened in dismay and she immediately began to refute his statement.

"No n-no its not like that! I…I'd much rather spend my time with Kurosaki-kun! A-as I said before, I…"She blushed as she recalled the memory, "I want to spend more time alone w-w-with Kurosaki-kun." She took hold of his arm between both of her hands, "I really and truly would!" Ichigo slowly turned his head around. Her rose-pink face was earnestly turned up towards his and the beseeching look in her eyes made his heart skip a beat before he nodded and started walking with her in tow. (He clasped his hand over hers, making sure that she kept hold of his arm.)

A few minutes later, Orihime noticed the slightly sly smile that was spreading over his lips and the thought occurred to her…"Ne Kurosaki-kun…." She waited for him to look at her as she asked, "Did you just do that on purpose?"

His lips twitched into a slightly guilty smile that made her let out an embarrassed, "Kurosaki-kun! You are such a meanie! Why do you always tease me…mou…" She averted her pink tinted faced from his gentle gaze, her eyes taking in the different stalls as she frantically attempted to cool down her cheeks with sheer mind and will power.

'_Beause I think you're cute when you're blushing…because seeing you pout when you figure out that I'm teasing you is cute…because I love the way you focus on me and nothing else when I do…" _Ichigo watched as Orihime's eyes brightened considerably as they passed by a few stalls. "Because I wanted to hear you say that…" he couldn't help but murmur out loud to the sumire hairpin holding up her hair. Orihime turned her head towards his, her eyes inquisitive as she asked, "Did you say something Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo smiled before giving her hand a warm squeeze. "Na…nothing important. So, where you wanna go first?"

**.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo stared at his girlfriend with complete amusement as she dove into eating the delicately spun treat with the enthusiasm of a child. She was nibbling away at the cotton candy, the pink spun sugar completely covering her face and making her highly susceptible to being bumped into or crashing into other people.

Ichigo placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her gently to the side as he noticed the couple approaching from the front. Orihime pulled out of the cotton candy long enough to glance up over the candy before turning to him and asking, "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo chuckled as he spotted the small bit of sugary fluff that was sitting on top of her lip. Her expression turned into one of confusion as she asked, "What? Is there something on my face?" Ichigo couldn't help but chortle slightly at her squint eyed attempts to try to see what was on her nose. He raised his hand up to her face, cupping her cheek as he leaned in with a husky, "Let me…"

He plucked the sugary confection off, his lower lip gently brushing against her upper lip. He watched through half-opened eyes as her eyes popped open comically wide before she hurriedly pushed him away. Her face was completely red as she frenetically looked around before exclaiming, "Kurosaki-kun! Not in public!"

He gave her an unrepentant grin, "Not like anyone saw us!" His grin widened as she blushed harder and buried her face again in the cotton candy, mumbling something under her breath. He was about to lean over and ask what she had said when she suddenly exclaimed, "The shooting range!" and dragged him over underneath the dark yellow canopy.

Ichigo watched as his girlfriend attempted once…twice… thrice to knock over the white box displaying a daisy pendant. She pouted at the prize before staring away at the rifle in her hands as she muttered, "Maybe its been clogged by alien slime?" Ichigo quickly pulled the rifle away from her as she attempted to stare down into the barrel (He was genuinely afraid that she might poke her eye out or shoot herself in the face).

Ichigo nodded at the man behind the counter before he pushed forward enough money for two turns. "I'll have a go." He held the toy rifle up, turning his head slightly towards Orihime as he asked, "You want that daisy necklace right?"

Orihime nodded and watched with high hopes as he cocked the rifle. But by the third attempt, her hopes had been stomped over like downtown Tokyo had been smashed by Godzilla and Mothra. (_'Is she…sulking?'_) "I thought Kurosaki-kun was good at this."

"Huh?" He gave her a thoroughly puzzled glance. She pointed towards the rifle in his hands, "I thought that you would be able to get it in the first try to be truthful."

"Aaah." Understanding shone in his eyes as he raised the rifle slightly, "The thing is that you gotta get used to it for the first try and then you have a better chance to get the thing you want." He accepted three more pellets from the stand owner before loading them into the toy. "I always try to get a hang of the rifle before actually trying to get the prize." He raised the rifle back up, his hands steady as he eyed the white box. "It's always worked for me." He pulled the trigger.

Orihime watched in surprise as the small box was knocked over from its perch. She clapped her hands in delight, "Sugoi~! Thank you so much!" She accepted the necklace from his outstretched hands, admiring the way the center stone reflected the light of the stalls. Ichigo watched as she slowly and carefully opened the box before holding the necklace up before her eyes. "It's so pretty!"

Ichigo eyed the daisy as she attempted to wear the necklace, "But it's just a cheap trinket." He stepped behind her, gently taking hold of the clasp from her fumbling fingers before securing the necklace in place. "It's nothing special."

She slowly shook her head before turning around to meet his gaze. The tender and loving look in her eyes made his breath catch in his throat as she quietly countered his statement, "No…because Kurosaki-kun won it for me, its worth more than three times its weight in gold."

Ichigo stared at her for a moment before turning away, covering his suddenly red cheeks with his hands as he muttered underneath his breath. _'Fuck…I think she made my heart go doki-doki at that…'_

**.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime rubbed her stomach, hoping that the motion wouldn't coax another loud grumble from the organ. She looked up from her perch atop the wooden fence, searching for the familiar figure of her tall boyfriend but he was no where to be seen in the bustling crowd of people coming and going.

She sighed and swung her feet, _'I wonder where Kurosaki-kun went to….'_ Her fingers went up to trace the thin chain around her neck, coming down to fiddle with the jeweled flower as she smiled slightly. _'One more gift that Kurosaki-kun got for me.'_ Her fingers drifted towards the back of her neck, slowly stroking the skin as she recalled the feel of his rough but gentle fingertips brushing against her sensitive skin.

A slight shiver went through her, _'I can almost feel it…'_ She shook her head from side to side, _'Oh this is dangerous! Kurosaki-kun always makes my heart meter go twirly-twirl like a whirling dervish…or like those nifty Russian dancers.' _In a slightly contemplative manner, she twirled the chain around her finger, _'I wonder if that's some special power that Kurosaki-kun has…I wonder if it works on everyone. Or maybe it's just on me? Eeek! Would that mean Kurosaki-kun has a special hold on me?! That means he can make me do anythi-'_

She blinked in surprise at the pair of sneakers that came into sight, _'Eh? Who is this? I don't think Kurosaki-kun was wearing sneakers…'_ Her eyes quickly darted up, his name on her lips which she quickly swallowed back as she gazed up into the unfamiliar face.

"Are you Inoue Orihime?"

"Hai." The dark haired man before her gave her a disarming smile, "Glad I found you. I met Kurosaki on the way and he said that he had a surprise for you and wanted me to take you to him."

Orihime blinked in surprise, _'Really? How odd…he left saying that he was going to get some takoyaki…'_ Curiously she asked, "Are you part of the kyuudo club as well?" A blank look passed over his face that he quickly schooled into an amiable smile, "Yes I am."

She frowned slightly as she straightened up, "How odd…I haven't seen you there though…" Again, an expression passed so quickly over his face that she was barely able to recognize it as he replied, "I'm a silent member." He gestured towards the crowd, "Shall we then?"

Orihime fell into step behind him, glancing behind her one last time before looking at the man's back. "Where are we going?"

"Its just a little ways ahead…"

**.*.*.*.*.**

Rukia was staring in delight at the goldfish as it floated in front of her before lazily turning away. _'I wonder what name I should give it. Maybe Izanam-hello…'_ She stared in surprise as a recognizable combination of colors passed by in front of her. _'There can't be two women here wearing the same yukata design. I'm going to kill that stupid store clerk if he lied about that sakura design behind one a kind!' _

Rukia quickly darted forward into the crowd, ignoring the surprised yell from her boyfriend of four-years as she quickly searched for her busty friend. She grinned as she caught sight of her friends back and was about to yell out her and Ichigo's name, _'Wait a minute…Ichigo wasn't wearing a black jacket…And, this guy's got black hair…who the hell is she with?!'_

A sudden shiver of unease and apprehension passed through her as Renji came to stand beside her. "What the hell Rukia?" She looked up with worried eyes at Renji.

**.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo wished he had never come to the damn takoyaki stall in the first place. _'Coulda gotten a caramel apple or a chocolate coated banana or even some yakisoba . But nooooo. I HAD to pick takoyaki and get a freaking tako stuck to me…'_

"I never thought that I'd meet you in such a place! It's such a surprise and an honor really! I've admired you for quite some time!" How Ichigo wished that the short haired girl clinging to his side would just simply shut up and go away. _'What did I do to deserve this prattling?'_

"Now see here…" Ichigo turned towards the girl, intent on bluntly, yet kindly telling her to piss off when he suddenly wondered what her name was. She seemed to sense that he was searching for her name and she chirped, "Midori."

'_That…rings a bell…"_ Ichigo shook the sense of awareness away as he continued, "See here Midori-san, I'm here with my girlfriend and I reall-Oh for _fucks sake!_' Ichigo pulled out his vibrating cell phone, snapped it open and growled, "WHAT?"

"Where the hell are you?! We just saw Orihime walk off with some guy that wasn't _you_! Did you guys have a fight or something? What the hell Ichigo?!" Ichigo frowned at Rukia's comments, "But I told her to wait by the…" He trailed off as warning bells began to ring in his head.

His eyes darted down to meet curious brown ones and he suddenly felt like hitting himself on the head with a brick. He shifted the mouth piece away as he asked sharply, "What's your name?" She half pouted, "You forgot already? How ru-"

"Just answer the damn question!" He snapped, his voice sharp and hard. "Your full name. NOW."

The girl frowned this time, flipping her hair before placing one hand on her hip, "No need to be so _rude._ It's Ueda Midori."

'_Oh SHIT.'_ Ichigo grabbed the girl by the arm, ignoring her surprised yell as he barked into the phone. "Follow her Rukia. I'll call you back in a minute." He closed his phone, slipping it back into his pocket as he dragged the whining girl with him to the nearby restroom area.

He strode over to the back of the toilets, turning around to make sure that no one had followed them. He pushed the petite girl again the wall, not caring at the amount of force he had used to propel the girl into the hard wall. She let out a whine as she rubbed the back of her head, "That hurt Ichigo-kun! How could you do that to a girl? Ho-"

"So you're that idiot's girlfriend huh? I should have known something smelled." Ichigo ignored her wounded look as he cut her sentence.

She was looking up at him with wide eyes, "That idiot? What are you talking about?"

"_Don't_…play games…" Ichigo growled out. He leaned in further. "You're Toki's girl. I've heard about you. So whatever you're planning…you'd better tell me."

Her expression suddenly shifted from innocent to sly with such smoothness that Ichigo felt like recoiling in disgust. She raised a manicured nail to her chin with a sigh, "How sad. I was hoping that I could fool you for a little while longer."

"Why?"

She looked up at him again, her smile was wide and filled with cunning as she observed his tense jaw line. "Wouldn't you like to know…"

He leaned in forward, resting his weight on his fist as he muttered, "Oh I very much would like to know…Or else I'm not sure what I'll do."

She gave him a feline smile, raising one polished nail up to trace the underside of his jaw as she said, "That sounds like an empty threat to me. You wouldn't dare raise your hand against a girl."

Ichigo's lips turned up into a small smile, "Is that so?"

* * *

**MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! **

**O HO HO HO HO HO HO! **

**BUWAHAHAHAHAHA!**

***cackles away in her corner with her dark cape fluttering in the breeze with thunder cracking behind her* **

**Some notes, in order of appearance:**

**Yukata: A summer kimono made out of cotton. You ought to know that one….and for those who'd like a visual reference regarding Orihime's yukata. Check out 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' Season 02 Episode 07, 8:37 onward. Haruhi's wearing the yukata. **

**Sumire: Violet flower. Borrowed the hair pin from 'Koi, Hirari'**

**Oni-Kamijou : tehe~ another Junjou Egoist reference. Translation would be "Demon Kamijou"**

**Daisy pendant: Good ole Dengeki Daisy reference! Kurosaki and Teru FTW!**

**Takoyaki: a really popular Japanese dumpling made with octopus in it.**

**Tako: Octopus. Cause she's being all clingy and all so…yeah**

**Izana(mi) – Rukia was gonna name her goldfish that. Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini reference right there.**

**Yakisoba : Tasty noodles. *guuuu* Wish I could have some right now…**

**Hope I didn't miss anything this time….I was thinking that Ichigo would win Kon for Orihime at the rifle range but then went "Naaaaaa."**

**Review will make me effin ECSTATIC! :D**


	13. Fear

**All projects submitted. All presentations given. All exams submitted. I'm back y'all! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach alas.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 1 3 ~**

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Orihime kept peeking around the tall figure in front of her, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ichigo as they walked on. She noted that the crowd kept thinning as they made their way past the stalls. Or to be more precise, they had passed the last stall a little way back.

She turned around to catch a glimpse of the brightly lit stall but she could only catch glimpses of the festival lights as they hung over the throngs of people. She sighed slightly. _'I wonder what Kurosaki-kun has planned…maybe it's a special place to watch the fireworks from?'_

She quickly pulled open her purse, searching for the flyer of the festival. _'I'm sure that they wrote the location for the fireworks on it.' _She pulled out the sheet of paper, holding it up in the hopes that the faint light would be enough for her to make out the text.

'_Let's see…summer festival…fireworks by the … riverside? But that's…'_ She quickly stuffed the paper back into her purse as the dark haired man in front of her stopped and turned left, moving into the shrubbery. Orihime stopped, filled with a sudden sense of unease. _'The riverside is on the other side of the park…'_

The man noticed that she was still standing there and gave her another reassuring smile that made her feel as though she had worms crawling underneath her skin. She shuddered slightly and hoped that he didn't notice as he repeated once more, "It's just a little bit more Inoue-san."

She swallowed harshly before nodding. She stepped behind the man and waited for him to turn his back towards her. She quietly slipped her hand into her purse and felt around for her cell phone. She was ready to pull the phone out, _'Wait...who should I call? Kurosaki-kun? The police?' _ Her fingers hovered uncertainly over the keypad as she kept walking behind the tall man.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_FUCK!_ Where did she go?" Renji panted as he stood in the same spot where Orihime had stood mere minutes ago. He turned to Rukia, "I don't see her here!"

Rukia's worried eyes darted to the curving path ahead of them, "Maybe he took her forward?"

Renji ran a hand over his face as he cursed, "But he could have back tracked or gone into the trees here or…fuck. This is bad." He pulled out his cell phone, "What's her number? I'll give her a call and ask her where she is."

Rukia's face lit up in relief and she quickly opened her dark purse, rummaging through it hastily in search of her phone. Her relieved expression quickly shifted to exasperation and then to confusion. Renji watched with growing dread as she suddenly crouched down on the ground and turned her purse upside down and began to pull out all the items.

"No no no **NO**!" Rukia shouted as she frantically shook the empty bag and stared down at the scattered items. "Don't TELL me that I forgot to take it with me when we left!" Renji sat down next to her as she began to quickly pick up her items. "Didn't you call Ichigo just a little while before on your cell? Maybe you dropped it somewhere?"

Rukia fought back the urge to let her desperation and anger creep into her voice as she spoke in a carefully schooled voice, "I used _your_ phone to call her remember?" Renji closed his eyes with a grimace and shook his head, "Shit!"

"You don't remember her number do you?" Renji picked up the lip gloss by his foot and handed it back to Rukia as she woefully shook her head. "No…" She let out a small gasp before grabbing him by the forearm, "Call Ichigo! He'll have her number for sure!"

Renji felt like smacking himself for forgetting his orange haired friend.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Is that so?"

Midori smiled up at the tall orange haired male as he smirked at her. She knew guys like these inside and out. The nice guy variety that always worked hard throughout their lives. Eventually settled down with a girl that they said they loved to pieces, had three kids with them and never ever would raise their voice with the woman they loved. Even if said woman was throwing plates at their head.

Her smile turned to a smirk as she ran her fingers over his neck, admiring the toned muscles as her eyes followed her fingers. _'Hmmm, I can see why that Princess is attracted to him. He is rather good looking.'_ She let her fingers drop down to fiddle with the collar of his dark t-shirt. She gave him a look filled with self-satisfaction as she purred, "I know boys like you like I know the back of my hand. You would never _dare_ hurt any girl."

She ran a finger down his chest as she leaned in closer to him, "You aren't the type of man who'd push around a girl, no matter what the situation." Her smirk widened as she saw his Adam's apple bob before he asked, "And what…makes you so sure…"

'_Men…they all are so easy to manipulate. And here I was thinking that this guy just might be a challenge. Well not that it makes any difference to me…just so long as that he and his Princess get what's coming to them for messing with _my _Toki.'_

She let out a thin shriek as he grabbed her hand and slammed it back against the wall. An expletive was at the tip of her tongue, ready to be dropped when her eyes met his and that was when she felt a shiver of fear go down her spine. His eyes were narrowed down to slits, the faint light giving his eyes a dangerous glint that made her suddenly wish she could just melt into the wall and out of his sight.

She raised her hand, moving it to slap his face in a desperate attempt to try to gain some control of the situation. He easily caught her wrist and pulled both of her hands in a tight one-handed grip. He gave her a feral grin, pushing one leg between hers as he leaned in closer. "What makes you _so sure_ that you know me?"

She gave him a defiant look, laced with anger as she spat out, "You wouldn't _dare_! A man like you would never-!"

Her words turned to desperate croaks as his hand suddenly closed around her windpipe, cutting off her air and words at the same time. His stone cold expression didn't shift in the slightest as she clawed at his hand. "A man like me huh?"

She stared up in panic at his face as he spoke, "A man like me would do anything…_anything…_to protect the people he loves." She jerked away from his hand as he brought it up to her face, shuddering as he ran a finger down the curve of her neck. "So…if you know what's good for you…you'd better tell me what you have planned for my girlfriend."

She glared daggers at him but then yelped in pain as he tightened his grip on her throat. He gave her a cold smile before tracing the line of her cheek. "Cause y' know…I don't know what I'd do if something was to happen to her…" His fingers drifted up into her hair, gently stroking her short brown hair as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "And I really do mean that." He dug in his fingernails into her scalp to add emphasis to his statement.

Again she let out a hoarse yelp of pain before croaking out, "That…" Ichigo tilted his head slightly as he loosened his grip slightly. Between hacking coughs she spat out, "That bitch…deserves what's coming to…her."

Midori was ready to accept a backhand to the face but was surprised when he pulled back and asked, "And what makes you say that?" She met his cold, her voice harsh and biting as she spoke. "She tried to sleep with Toki! And when she couldn't get him, she got you to beat him up! Who does that bitch think she is? Just 'cause she's a little pretty she thinks she can get any guy she wants?"

She started backwards in surprise as Ichigo full out laughed at her statement before asking her between chuckles, "Is _that_ what he told you?" All the amusement was suddenly wiped away from his face as he spoke, "Your _boyfriend_ is known around campus to be one of the biggest players around."

Her confidence took a small dip at his words. Reflexively she denied his statement. "No…that's not true…"

But he continued on. "Oh but it _is._ He gets the girl drunk or drugged her before taking her back to her apartment and having sex with her and forgetting about her the next day." A stab of cold fear and doubt ran through her. _'No…Toki wouldn't…he wouldn't lie to _me_! Sure there are nights when I couldn't get hold of him but…he said that he with his friends on a night out….he wouldn't…he _couldn't_ cheat on me…'_

"But don't take my word on it…Ask _anyone_ in the fourth year." _'No…that can't be true…it can't….'_ Her mind spun as she tried to push away the gnawing doubt. She had often suspected that Toki might be cheating on her and had initially expected that given that they both were in different universities. But she had never found _any _proof that Toki had another girl in his own university. So she had chalked up her suspicions to be just that…But this was the first time that she was hearing anything like this...

"Toki wouldn't….he wouldn't…"

She her face contorted in pain as he tugged at her hair while genially speaking, "Well now that _that's_ done with." She cried out in surprise as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back. "I think it's time you tell me what you had planned for my girlfriend."

She cried out as he painfully pulled her hair back, "Or else, I can't promise that you'll be leaving without a few marks on you."

"I …just paid some….ow ow that _hurts you bastard!_ Augh! Paid some guys to do her alright? Now _let GO of me! _You're gonna pull my hair out!" Her sentence went up into a painful shriek in the end. Her fingers tugged in vain at his hand, attempting to free her hair from his vice-like grip. But he paid her no heed.

Dread shot through him and settled in his stomach as the sentence rang in his head. _'Shit shit shit! Where could they have taken her? They couldn't have taken her far…but maybe they took her out of the park? The nearest love hotel street is still twenty minutes away…but maybe they're still in the park? Fuck! How do I find her now?'_

He growled in irritation as he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the display. "Inoue?" He let go of his grip on Midori's hair, ignoring the girl as she slip to the ground. He quickly flipped the phone open and opened the email she had sent. It was a scant three lines. _'Passed the festival. In the forest. What is the big surprise?'_

Before he could even begin to process her message, Renji's name lit up the screen and he quickly accepted the call. "Did you find her?"

His hesitation to the question made Ichigo's heart drop, "We…lost her."

Ichigo felt like tossing his cell phone into the wall but restrained himself as he asked, "Where are you guys?"

"Aaah we passed all the stalls and we're standing right before the path curves away. You'd better hurry." Ichigo hung up, muttering, "Don't tell me things I already know idiot." He glanced down at the girl as she was slowly crawling away towards the crowd. He bent down and snagged her by the collar of her jacket. "Did you _really_ think I'd let you go _that_ easily?"

He gave her a wide smile as she eyed him warily. "Now, we can do this the easy way…or the hard way." She swallowed harshly, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked, "What…" She cleared her throat before asking in a more normal (albeit choked) tone of voice, "What are you going to do?"

"Well that depends on you really." Ichigo tugged at her jacket. "Take off your jacket and shirt." Her eyes popped wide open as she struggled to stand up, yelling, "There's no way that I'm _mumph_!" She stared in fright as Ichigo peered down at her, his hand covering her mouth.

"Either you take them off, or I rip them off. Your choice."

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime fought back her rising anxiety as she watched her cell phone screen turn dark. Her hand shook, the device falling out of her fingers and resting against the base of her purse. She licked her dry lips, her hands tightly clutching the dark pink bag as she tried to calm her nerves.

With every step she took, this…disturbing feeling of unease just kept growing. Something felt wrong…oh so terribly wrong. Every time she would look up at the man in front of her, she would question the initial statement that he had given her. _'I don't recall any silent members in the club…didn't Rukia-chan say that Byakuya-san had a strict policy against that?'_

She licked her dry lips, _'Just stay calm Orihime…and keep your guard up. What was it that Tatsuki-chan told me? Never let your guard down and never turn your back towards the opponent.'_ She paused and turned back, her teeth nibbling on the inside of her lower lip as she stared into the long shadows behind her.

"Took you long enough!"

Orihime's head whipped around, relief bubbling up in her at the words. But her hopes were dashed as a tall, lean blonde haired man pushed his way through the nearby overgrowth. "God damn it Kuze, do you even know how to read a damn watch?"

'Kuze' shrugged smoothly, "Better a little late than not being here in the first place Sho-kun."

"Wha-what…is going…on?" Orihime's gaze oscillated between the two men in front of her and she hoped that this situation wasn't what she thought it was. _'And please God don't let them see how bad my legs are shaking…'_

With both hands in his pockets, 'Sho-kun' came to stand beside 'Kuze'. The blonde let his gaze slowly traverse her figure, making Orihime suddenly feel vulnerable and exposed. She defensively crossed one arm around her waist as he let out an appreciative whistle. "Isn't she a looker. I'm _really _gonna enjoy this."

Kuze took a step forward, "If I'd have known she was this good looking, I wouldn't have asked for the money. I'd have done her anyways."

A cold stab of fear shot through her as both men slowly began to advance towards her.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Rukia ignored Renji's comment as he asked for her to sit down instead of search at the edge of the tree line. "You'll just wear yourself out Rukia. Besides, there's not enough light to see if she did drop anything."

Her eyes kept darting around the ground, her eyes straining in the dark for a sign. _Any_ sign that would give some indication that Orihime had been here. _'God please…something…_anything_ that would show that she was here…'_

Renji watched as Rukia sighed before she straightened up. _'Where the hell is Ichigo?'_ His gaze returned in the direction of the festival. His fingers nervously tapping against his thigh as his eyes kept darting from one face to another.

He turned back towards Rukia only to see her holding…_'What is she holding?'_ She looked up at that moment and met his inquiring gaze. She held up a small flower shaped pendant, "Do you remember if Orihime had a daisy pendant?"

Renji frowned as he thought over it. "Nope. She has those hair pins but I don't remember her wearing any pendant. Maybe someone els-"

"ICHIGO!" Rukia's loud yell cut him off as she trotted forward to meet the running man. Ichigo panted heavily as he came to a stop before Renji. Sweat dripped down his cheeks as he wheezed out, "Any…luck…?"

Rukia shook her head morosely. "I couldn't find anything of hers. I just found this daisy pendant."

A sudden light filled his brown eyes as he asked. "What pendant?"

Rukia held the trinket up by the chain. She let out an indignant cry as he pulled the small flower out of her hands. "Where did you find this?" She physically recoiled at the urgency and desperation that laced his voice and look. She pointed behind her, "Right beside that tree over there. It was right beside the tras-!"

Rukia let out a surprised yell as Ichigo ran past her, tossing a dark package right into her face before he sprinted in the direction Rukia had pointed out. "What the hell? ICHIGO!"

Rukia pulled the heavy fabric off her head and stared in surprise and confusion at the short jacket she was holding up. "What the?" Both her and Renji's gaze followed the dark shape that fell down as she held the jacket up by the shoulders.

Renji and her stared at the fallen fabric before Renji cleared his throat and asked, "Is that a shirt and a…_bra_?"

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Moshi moshi Midori-chan?"

"Don't ask any questions and just bring me a change of clothes. I'm at the festival at Otonashi Park."

"...alright. Would you prefer a skirt or pants or anything?"

"Just…bring me a shirt or something."

"Ha? Did you get your shirt dirty or something?"

"…...or something. Just hurry. I'm waiting in the toilets after the takoyaki stand. Call me when you get there."

"It would be easier if you would wait outside for me. You know how I am with directions."

"…I can't come outside."

"The stain can't be _that_ bad!"

"I DON'T HAVE A STAIN ON MY SHIRT! I DON'T EVEN HAVE A SHIRT ON!"

"EH?"

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo jumped over a short hedge, his heart pounding against his chest as he strained his legs to run faster. He let out a loud "FUCK!" as he slipped on some wet mud and was propelled forward towards a tree. His hands shot out forward, bracing himself as he smacked into the tree. He ignored the throbbing pain of his palms as he stood back up and stared down at the wet ground.

He was supremely thankful that it had rained last night. There was a clear track of prints leading into the forest that he had been following after he had entered the wooded area. He bent down towards the ground, flashing his cell phone around searching for the marks he had been following.

'_Please be safe Orihime'_ He begged internally. _'God PLEASE keep her safe till I get to her. ' _

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**For the curious minded, Midori chose to take her shirt off by herself. Ichigo didn't rip off it off. **

**Reviews are gonna make cackle with devilish delight! **_  
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	14. Calm Like a Bomb

**Disclaimer: I own Bleach as much as I own Apple Inc.**

**Warning: The M-rating comes in here. It gets a little….heavy in this chapter.**

**Strap on your seat belts. Its gonna be a bumpy ride.**

**This chapter, I totally owe to Amar. He guided me step by step in writing a hefty part of it when I was stumbling around wondering how to do it **_**right**_**.**

**I will ask for a tad bit of leniency on the characterization this time around. If you think its going a tad OOC, then I will bid you to recall the situation at hand. And as such, I think the reactions are more than justified.**

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR NEAR RAPE SITUATION AND VIOLENCE  
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**~ C h a p t e r 1 4 ~**

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Her legs ached and threatened to give way beneath her body with every step she took. She raised her hands to protect her face as she jumped through a thick green patch of leaves and branches. Her eyes darted around her before she resumed her running. She quickly turned her head, hoping that perhaps she had thrown the two men off.

"There's no way you're getting away bitch!"

A loud whimper of fear and frustration left her lips as she turned her attention back forward. _'I should have punched him harder when he came close to me. If only I had hit him harder then I could have knocked him out. Why didn't I remember to go for his throat instead?"_

She let out a shrill scream of surprise and fear, as she slipped on the wet ground and fell on her side to the ground. She grimaced at the pain that shot through her hands as they failed to properly brace her fall. With shaky hands she quickly pushed herself back up, trying to shake off the disorientation as easily as the mud off her hands as she wondered which direction to run in.

'_Which way should I go? In which direction was the festival? I can't even tell anymore! Oh God please….help me!'_

A hard hand clasped over her mouth, another held her arm at her side as a low rumble came into her ear. "Gotcha now you little princess."

Sho sped up as he watched Kuze sneak up behind the auburn haired girl and quickly silence her. _'Finally!'_ But he came to a halt as he watched her smoothly turn and flip the larger man over her shoulder and into the wet ground at her feet.

'_What the hell? She can fight back?'_ Sho was ready to resume the chase when she suddenly fell forward to her face with a loud cry. Kuze gave her a feral grin as he tightened his grip on her ankle. "Its not gonna be that easy princess. Sho get over here, hold her down."

Sho complied, stepping forward to help the girl up. He quickly twisted both of her arms behind her back, using one hand to hold her down. At her startled, painful cry he quickly raised one hand up to cover her mouth, "Shhh. Can't have you making too much noise now can we?"

Kuze wiped away the mud from his face, the black and red mixture smearing over his face. Sho shot him a concerned look, "Your face looks like shit." Kuze gingerly touched the bridge of his bleeding nose, "I'll take it outta this bitch, make no mistake about that. I never thought she'd have enough guts to smack me one in the face to run away."

He stepped forward, relishing the small tremor that went through her slight body as she tried to wriggle away from him. He watched her as she tightly clenched her eyes shut as he ran a finger down her dirtied cheek. He raised his hand into her hair and tightly pulled at it. Her pained cry was muffled behind Sho's fingers as her head was pulled to the side.

Kuze watched the tear roll down her cheek before her clear gray depths stared up at him in fear. "You know…I had planned to make this easy for you. But you _had_ to go and break my nose." He pulled her face closer to his. "I….am going to _break you_."

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_FUCK!_" Ichigo screamed in frustration. In his desperate attempt to get to Inoue faster, he had somehow managed to lose the tracks that he had been following. "_**FUCK!**_" Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at his orange locks as fear ran unchecked through his system.

'_What do I do? What do I do? Where could she be? Why is this place so fucking BIG? Maybe I should turn back and try to find the tracks again_' He immediately shot that option down. _'That'll take too fucking long. Oh FUCK this.'_

He took a deep breath, raised his cupped hands to his mouth as he bellowed, "INOUE!"

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

There was this one time when her older brother had fooled her into chewing on some bright cherry red wool. He had told her that whatever color the wool was, its taste would be the same. So if the wool was named 'Cherry red' then it would taste like cherries. After that day, she couldn't forget the utterly disgusting feel of the twined threat underneath her teeth and she still felt that it was one of the more horrible feelings she had ever experienced.

But this…this was much worse than the wool. She kept her lips tightly pursued together as the dark haired man pressed his lips against hers. Bile rose up in her throat at the feeling of his cold dry lips against hers. A slimy, revolting feeling was creeping underneath her skin as though there was a layer of gel between her skin and her muscles.

She tried to shake her head away but his grip on her head tightened to the point that his fingertips were pressing painfully into her skull. Nausea made her world tilt on an axis and swirl as his warm tongue ran over her lips. He took advantage of her surprise and pushed his tongue into her warm mouth. A sound of disgust was lodged in her throat which quickly was voiced out as his fingers drifted down to caress her bare neck. His fingers ran up and down the side of her neck, the feel of them making her break out in goose bumps.

She let out a choked sob against his lips as she felt another set of fingers move to pull open the top part of her yukata. _'Not like this…Please not like this ',_ her mantra repeating as more and more of her skin was revealed to the cool night air. She didn't…._couldn't_ hold back the scream in her throat as Kuze's fingers drifted down to grab her bra covered breasts. _"NO!_ PLEASE stop this! PLEASE ST-!"

Sho slipped three fingers into her mouth, cutting off her scared protests as Kuze roughly squeezed her uncovered flesh. "That's enough of that princess. Just enjoy the ride." Sho chuckled as she shook her head from side to side and strained to move away from him. He ran his fingertips over her tongue as Kuze leaned down to press his lips against the pale flesh of her exposed chest.

Another thin scream passed through her lips and his fingers before they were replaced by heavy, choked sobs as Kuze pulled down one lace covered cup to reveal one soft, pink nipple. Kuze licked his lips before leaning down to lick at her pale skin.

He roughly squeezed the globe as he pressed a hard kiss to her collar bone. She was moaning in fear as Kuze left a trail of dark hickey's down to the pink tip. Her words were muffled as she begged, "Please stop! Please….PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!" Kuze ignored her stifled cries as he ran his tongue around the pebbled flesh. If anything, it was turning him on more.

He squeezed the flesh once more before he closed his lips around the tip and suckled. She was squirming even harder now, her chest heaving with her every effort. Kuze snickered and twisted her wet nipple between his lips, savoring the pained cry she let out, "No use trying to get away princess. We're gonna have a good _long_ time playing with you."

Tears ran down her cheeks in clear, continuous streams as Kuze pulled away to tug open the lower half of her yukata. Sho grunted to keep her still was she tried with renewed force to squirm away from the dark haired man's hands. Kuze gave Sho a sharp look before he raised his hand, back handing her to the face before he growled her out, "If you knew what was good for you bitch, you'd just take this lying down. The more you fight, the worse this'll be for you. So just stay still!"

As Sho pulled the girl back up, Kuze noted with satisfaction that her gaze had turned blank. _'Good. Now at least she'll shut the hell up.'_ He tugged at the loose folds of her yukata, grunting at the tightly folded material in irritation and haste.

'_What do I do? What do I do? Kurosaki-kun…please…tell me what I can do. I feel so lost. I can't understand anything…what can I do…'_ She felt a hard hand underneath her chin. She didn't struggle as it pulled her forward to face Kuze once more. She stared blankly into his dark eyes as he gave her a leery grin. "Now that's more like it."

'_Kurosaki-kun….'_

"INOUE!"

Three pairs of head wiped to the side at the loud yell that pierced through the trees. Hope – potent and sweet swelled up in Orihime as she heard Ichigo yell out her name once more. "INOUE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

With renewed determination and energy, she turned towards the men who were holding her captive. Kuze was staring away into the darkness, a deep frown across his face as he pondered how far away this person was. Sho's grip had loosened on her arms as he too focused on the loud yells. Orihime quickly raised her foot and stomped with all her might on Kuze's foot.

Kuze let out a howl of pain as the hard sandals ground into his foot. He stumbled backwards, cursing loudly, "You spiteful little_ BITCH!'_ Sho turned his attention back at the loud yell before letting out a surprised wail of his own as he was pushed backwards. Inoue panted slightly before she took a deep breath and screamed with every ounce of her being.

"KUROSAKI-KUN! PLEASE SAVE ME! I'M OVER HERE! PLEASE SA-"

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo whipped his head to his right, shocked to realize that her voice was closer than he had dared to hope. Without another thought, he ran through the thicket in the direction of her voice. He tried to ignore the nagging voice in his head that told him that it wasn't a good sign that her yelling was cut mid way.

And then without any warning, he burst into a small clearing. And he saw the two men. More importantly, he saw her. She was kneeling on the ground, her hands behind her with one man leaning down to pull her back up and a taller, dark haired man standing before her, his hands running over her naked shoulders.

Her face was turned away from him as he came to a sudden stop before the trio. When she looked up, a cold numbness spread throughout his body. The left side of her face was swelled to the point that her eye had been forced shut. A large red bruise was blossoming over her swelled cheek, which was complimented by another darkening bruise on her temple.

He could make out her wet cheeks as her lips moved to form his name, "Kuro…saki…kun…"

The soft whisper made Kuze turn around and stare at the pale faced boy who stood before him. He scoffed at the wide eyed panicky look the orange head was sporting before he yelled out, "Who the fuck are you, runt?"

Now that wide eyed shocked look was directed at him. _'Oh God.'_ Kuze rolled his eyes to the skies. _'He looks ready to piss his pants any minute.'_ "Look buddy. Why don't you just turn around and walk out of here before someone gets hurt." Kuze turned his back to the boy, confident in the notion that he would run away faster than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Which was why he was surprised as _hell_ when he felt a tight grip on his jacket's shoulder pulling him backwards and a hard punch knock him off his feet. Kuze stared up in shock at Ichigo, wondering why Sho's voice sounded so far away and why one side of his head felt so numb.

Kuze stared up in pained surprise at the man before he yelled, "What the _fuck_ is your problem? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Kuze moved to stand up, swaying unsteadily as he straightened up but keeping his full attention on the darkening face before him.

Ichigo took a step back and turned slightly to face the blonde as he chuckled and held up Orihime. "Just calm down man! We're just having a bit of fun with the lady here. So why don't you mind your own fucking business and just walk out of here. Before you get your ass busted for being a fucking goodie two shoes."

Sho frowned as the orange haired man took a step forward towards him. His gait was slow and measured, much like his voice as he spoke, "Let . her . go."

Sho kept his eyes trained on Ichigo, noting Kuze move slowly behind the taller man. "Or else what? What you gonna do?" Sho moved one hand to her mouth and the other moved forward to fondle her bare breasts, pulling at the pebbled tip slowly (ignoring her moans of protest), "You gonna stop me from doin this?"

Kuze paused as he stared at the back of the man before him. The orange haired man's shoulders had just gone slack, his fists slowly unclenching and falling limp. Kuze shot a triumphant grin to Sho, who continued in a louder tone, "Why can't we share the spoils eh? We'll even let you take her first!"

He pulled her face away from his, exposing her bare neck to his lips. He leaned in, his tongue tracing the line of her neck before he looked up with a leer on his lips. The smile immediately fell of his lips as he met the cold hard glare of the man standing right before him, one fist raised in the air.

Orihime tightly closed her eyes and flinched as she saw Ichigo raise his hand. Her body was jerked backwards as Sho fell to the ground, howling in pain as he held onto his bloody nose. Her cry was cut short as she was almost immediately tugged forward into Ichigo's chest.

She bit down on her bottom lip, holding back her pained cry as her face hit his chest. Cautiously she turned her face upward, only to see the sharp angle of his neck and jaw. He was staring darkly at Sho who had fallen behind her. A sudden weakness went through her body, making her shiver inside Ichigo's grip. Tears of relief brimmed and spilled over from her eyes, her hands tightly gripping his shirt.

Kuze raised the thick branch over his head, scant seconds away from slamming the sturdy thing into Ichigo's skull. With a sharp crack, the thick branch snapped in two as it struck Ichigo's head. A sharp sense of triumph and victory ran through him as the man stumbled forward, the girl's voice crying out his name in distress and she faltered underneath his weight. _'That'll teach the bastard!'_

His feeling of victory withered like a flower in the desert heat as Ichigo's frame returned up to his full height. _'What…the hell?'_ The broken branch fell from his hands as Ichigo quickly turned towards him, ignoring the girl as she fell to her knees in shock. One sharp amber eye was focused on him, ignoring the blood that was steadily trickling down his face. A stab of fear went through Kuze at the deadly look which was aimed at him.

Stammering, he spoke, "W-what the hell man? You…you think you're something? I'll put you back in your place!" He brought his fists up, trying to remember the little boxing training that he had taken a few years back. He noticed Sho slowly moving behind Ichigo, spitting out a wad of blood before he gave his friend a curt nod. Kuze grinned before he charged forward, his fists raised to punch his opponent out.

Ichigo took a quick step back, grabbing Kuze's outstretched arm. Using the dark haired man's momentum against him, he pushed him into the on-coming Sho. The blonde staggered as Kuze slammed into his side before tumbling into the wet ground. Before Sho could gather his bearings, he felt a hard force slamming into his gut and pushing him down. Completely out of breath, he stared up at Ichigo's livid face as he straddled him.

With a grunt (and a bit of luck), he managed to raise his left leg and kick Ichigo on the side of his head. The orange haired reeled at the force of the kick and then grunted in surprise as Sho grabbed him by the throat. Sho panted as he tightened his grip on Ichigo's neck, "You…just…couldn't give up…couldn't have…shared…" a sneer passed over his face, "and she looks _so_ hot when she's scared."

Ichigo felt, for the second time in a matter of minutes, something snap in him. Rage and the desire to just make these bastards pay added greater strength and speed in his actions as he head-butted the blonde. He moved forward into Sho as he staggered backwards in pain. Ichigo straddled him, his hands tightening around the fair haired man's throat as he choked him. "You….are gonna regret saying that motherfucker."

Ichigo ignored the weak and _'utterly pitiful_' struggle that Sho was putting up, opting instead to further tighten his grip around his _'weak and scrawny little neck'. _A wicked smirk twisted his lips upward as he leaned over to whisper, "Not so tough now are you?" He ignored the pained whimper that the blonde let out and proceeded to punch the living hell out of the man. He drove his knuckled fist repeatedly into the side of Sho's face, increasing the force every time.

"That's enough now!"

Ichigo paused mid-strike as he felt something sharp being pressed against the side of his neck. Cautiously he twisted his neck just enough to catch a glimpse of the object. _'A fucking pocket knife?_ ' He then turned his gaze upwards, looking up into Kuze's irate gate. "Get off him and get the fuck out of here before I cut your guts out with this." Amusement, sudden and potent swept through him as his dark eyes met Kuze's nervous gaze. The smirk returned to his lips as he caught and held Kuze's glance. "You really think you can stop me with _that_?"

Kuze's blood ran cold as Ichigo's hand came to rest over his and pushed the knife against his skin. "O-oye!" He stared in alarm at the small trickle of blood that began to flow from underneath the blade. "_Are you crazy?"_ Ichigo quickly twisted his body around, grabbed Kuze's arm and slammed him down into the ground. The pocket knife harmlessly bounced away out of reach as Ichigo kept his tight grip on Kuze's arm.

Kuze gasped as he felt all the air rush out from his lungs. He took in a deep heaving gasp of air followed by a hoarse, "Shit!" His gaze darted to his arm where Ichigo's grip suddenly tightened. Dread washed over his body like water as Kuze stammered, "No…no way! You aren't really gonna…" Ichigo's smirk turned into a full out wicked grin.

The sharp cracking noise made Sho slide backwards from his position, wanting to just away from this man as fast as he could manage. _'Shit this guy is a fucking maniac!' _Kuze was screaming his head off, his broken arm cradled against his chest as he rolled around Ichigo's feet. "_You broke my arm! You bastard! It hurts!_"

Ichigo gave a spiteful, disgusted look at the man writhing before him. "Suck it up. This pain isn't half the pain what you made her go through." His narrowed eyes suddenly darted up to meet Sho's nervous gaze. He sneered at the scared man, "And I'm now where _near _done with _you_ either."

"CRAP I'm outta here!"

Sho quickly stumbled to his feet and proceeded to run away as far and as fast as he could manage. He had barely taken ten steps away when he felt a hand grab him by the back of his collar and direct him face first into the nearest tree. Sho reeled backwards, one hand cupping his mouth as he tried not to spit out blood and maybe a tooth or two.

Ichigo slammed his elbow into Sho's gut, making him moan behind his fingers. A few splatters of blood to slip through his fingers and onto the dark ground as he bent over in pain. Sho whimpered, "I fink you broke my teefh." Ichigo rolled his eyes, grabbing him again from the scruff of his neck. "Oh get up you fucking baby."

"You can't even take a little beating little man?" Ichigo grabbed him in a head lock before raising his knee as hard as he could into Sho's stomach. Without missing a beat he repeated the motion, this time pushing Sho in with as much force as he could manage while he raised his knee.

He pulled the shorter man up so that he was standing upright. Ichigo leaned over to whisper in Sho's ear, "If this is your idea of putting me in my place….you really _suck _at it." And he kicked the man in the ribs as though he was kicked down a door. Sho lurched backwards before stumbling and falling to the ground on all fours.

And Ichigo pounced on him like a panther on a baby wildebeest. He pulled back and kicked the fallen man _hard_ in the ribs. A sharp cracking sound followed by a loud scream from the blonde made Ichigo pull back and slam his boot harder into the bruised and most likely broken rib.

He could hear nothing. Nothing but the sound of his fists solidly connecting with the yellow haired bastard's bruising body and his sweet, sweet groans of pain (which soon dwindled down to silence). He could feel nothing but the cold, white-hot wrath that was flowing through him. What he was feeling…it went far beyond anger. It went beyond fury.

He relished the weakening cries of the broken, beaten man pinned beneath him as he continued to hammer away at his bloody bruised face. Ichigo stood up, his breathing shallow and quick as he stared at the bloody mess that he had made of Sho's face. He sneered at the man, _'Tch. Passed out already. What a pussy.'_ He turned around, his predatory gaze searching for the other man. _'Where'd that other bastard go to?'_

Tightly gripping his shoulder, Kuze grunted as he managed to stand up while heavily leaning against a nearby tree. Sweat dripped down his shoulder as he forced himself to not cry out in pain. He grimaced as pain ran through his system, originating from his throbbing arm. Even with his eyes tightly shut, he could feel a growing menacing presence coming closer to him.

He shakily exhaled, hoping against hope that he was just being paranoid. Slowly he opened his eyes and stared straight into glinting amber eyes that were locked onto him. Kuze skittered backwards, his broken hand swinging slightly as he jerkily began to pull away. His throat felt as though he hadn't had a drink of water for days as he tried to swallow.

Ichigo lengthened his stride as Kuze chuckled nervously, "H-he-hey man. Yo-you can have her. We-we were just…just paid to have some fun y' know? It…it wasn't…an-anythin personal or nuthin." His ire that had previously simmered down to a manageable level again boiled over and Ichigo could feel the hot rage spread out through his chest.

In two quick steps he was holding Kuze by the throat as he spat out disdainfully, "You just don't know when to keep your fucking mouth _shut _do you?" And without waiting for an answer, he sucker punched the brunette. Kuze tumbled gratefully into the darkness before his head smacked hard into the ground.

Orihime just sat in shock as she watched her boyfriend go utterly ballistic on her assaulters. Within a matter of a few minutes, he had sent both of them spiraling into darkness. Her entire body felt limp and without energy as she sat crumpled on the ground. As she felt the warm summer breeze against her bare bosom, she hastily pulled her bra and yukata back into place.

Slowly, she stood up – wobbling slightly as she straightened up. Slowly, she began to totter towards her boyfriend who was crouched over Kuze and striking him again and again _and again_. With every step, she could feel the strength returning to her shaky legs. Her stomach twisted and turned uncomfortably as the wet sound of flesh meeting flesh became clearer with every step.

She opened her mouth to speak before closing it and clearing her throat. She tried again to speak, her voice barely above a whisper as she called out to him, "Kur….Kuro…saki-kun?" She took another hesitant step forward, flinching as she caught sight as the blood splattered on Ichigo's fist before she took a deep breath and called out to him again. "Kurosaki-kun!"

There was no reaction from him as he raised his bloody, raw knuckles yet again to slam into the swollen face of her assaulter. Concern overcame her fears as she took the final step forward, now standing a few inches away from Ichigo. As loud as she could manage with her parched throat, she called out his name yet again, "_Kurosaki-kun!_"

Ichigo blinked in surprise as he felt a force hold his arm back. "Its…enough Kurosaki-kun…Please stop…its more than enough. So please…._please_ just stop. I don't want you hurting yourself anymore than this." He twisted his body around to find Orihime kneeling on the ground behind him, tightly holding back his arm between her small hands.

Orihime's eyes widened and she fell backward as Ichigo turned his face towards her. Ichigo himself suddenly tumbled backwards inelegantly on his behind as he caught full sight of her face. They stared at each other in shock and the full weight of what had happened seemed to sink in.

Orihime raised her hand to her mouth, fighting down the rising bile in her throat as her eyes darted over the blood splattered over his cheeks. Her gaze drifted upwards to his forehead and the wound that was sluggishly oozing out blood. His knuckles were raw and pink and _bloody_ as he shakily raised his hand up to her face.

Ichigo stared in abject horror at her face. Her lower lip was split open and a small trickle of blood trailing down her chin. Her left eye was swollen shut and that side of her face was colored an angry red that was slowly deepening as he slowly, hesitantly raised his hand. She trembled as his hand gingerly rested over her right cheek before drifting upwards to touch the aching bump on her forehead.

He could feel the tears forming in his eyes as the guilt began to set in. Every moment that she looked at him with those grateful eyes, he felt more and more weak and worthless. He swallowed before asking thickly, "Are you….Did they….Did I get here on time?"

Orihime reeled at the pain and raw anguish that was filling Ichigo's gaze. She placed a shaking hand over his, ignoring the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed out, "Yes…yes you did…Arigatou Kurosaki-kun…Thank you for saving me…" She raised both hands to cover her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that were wracking her small frame.

He could feel his own heart breaking with every sob she let out and he quickly pulled her against him. Her hands clung to his shirt as she sobbed, "I was so scared Kurosaki-kun! They told me that….they used your name and…I was so scared! I didn't…know what to do and…they chased me….it was so scary! Please….PLEASE don't do that ever again! I don't…want to see you get hurt like that."

She sunk her fingers into his shirt as she poured her fears out, "I kept thinking…what if something happened to you…and even you seemed like…for a moment I thought…you didn't even seem like yourself!" Those words sent a stab through him more effective than any gun or sword as she continued, "And I was so _scared_ that maybe….maybe I'd lost you…I don't want that to happen…I don't want to lose you in any way…"

He stroked her head, gently shushing her cries and ignoring the stinging pain in his hands as he tried to sooth her as best he could. "Its…it's alright Inoue. It's alright."

He pulled her tighter against his chest as he whispered into her ear, "It's over. You're safe now."

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Sora sighed and stretched as he got off the bus. _'What a day…'_ He loosened his tie as he turned towards home. _'That's the last time I'm agreeing to do Kouji's work for him. _' He rolled his shoulder joint in an effort to loosen a stiff muscle before giving up and trudging along.

'_Thank God this bus stop is just five minutes away from the apartment.'_ He could make out the building in front of him. He frowned slightly at the dark windows of the apartment. _'Odd…Orihime isn't back yet?'_ He pulled back his sleeve to check his watch. _'It's almost nine thirty. She said she'd be home before that.'_

He shrugged off the notion, _'I'm sure she's on her way home right now. I am a little early tonight anyways. And Kurosaki is with her too. Oho~ think of the devils!'_ Sora grinned as he caught sight of Ichigo climbing out of a white taxi in front of the apartment building.

He quickened his pace from a walk to a jog, wanting to meet with the couple before they went their separate ways. "Oooooye Kurosaki~!" He raised his arm, waving it at Ichigo as he slowly looked around. Sora's steps faltered as he caught sight of the bandage around the young man's head. _'What…the…'_

Worry flooded him and he ran as fast as he could down the street. His shoulders slumped in relief when he caught sight of Orihime sliding out from the taxi and look up at Ichigo. _'Oh thank Kami she's alright! She's….'_ Sora's steps faltered and he came to a halt a few feet away from the couple as Orihime's gazed turned from Ichigo's pale face and towards him.

The silence between the three was broken only by the sound of the taxi driving away and the cicadas chirping away. Sora's mouth dropped open as he took in the sight of his little sister's bruised and beaten face. **"KUROSAKI! What the HELL DID YOU DO?"**

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**T****his chapter was difficult to write in many ways. Writing that happening to dear Hime made me nauseous. Then writing the fight was difficult cause I just...couldn't get the feeling right. The end made me tear up while writing it (I think it was the music I had on...)**

**I will appreciate all thoughts and feedback on the chapter as always :D  
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	15. And Close Your Eyes With Holy Dread

**Well this took way longer than I thought it would. Horribly sorry for the long wait, I apologize most humbly for making y'all wait so long for this update. I hope you all like this.**

**HOLEEEEE SHEEZ, OVER 250 reviews? I am bowled over by the love! I never thought that I'd get that many reviews, I really didn't! Speaking of which…I got an anon review asking for the lemon. Sorry to disappoint mate but this fanfic is more about the plot and the drama than the sexing. If you want smut, there's "From Yesterday to Tomorrow" to which I'm soon gonna write another smut-shot for. Hell, to be completely honest I myself am not 100% when the lemon will come into this fic. Lime sure as hell but lemon? Your guess is as good as mine!**

**AMAR IS AWESOME cause he did the first beta read for this chapter and because of that, you guys got this chapter a day earlier :D Ain't he awesome? YES HE IS!**

**Lets get right to the chapter shall we? Oh yeah…two of the regular notes.**

_**As always, I would plead some degree of leniency if some of actions of the characters seem OOC here. Please strive to remember the situation at hand and then judge if the characters seem…not in character. **_

**Disclaimer: Don't own these fabulous characters.**

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**~ C h a p t e r 1 5 ~**

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_Orihime sniffled, raising her hand up to wipe her face clean as she slowly pulled away from Ichigo. He kept his hands on her shoulders, watching her with concern as she took a deep, steadying breath. He raised his hand up to her face, gently stroking her right cheek as he quietly asked, "You okay?"_

_She sniffled again before giving him a small nod. She placed her hand in his as he helped her stand up. He tightened his grip on her hand before he started walking. "We should get someone to look at your wounds. I'm pretty sure there was a first aid tent around." He stopped mid-stride as she pulled at his hand. _

_He gave her a curious glance only to find her gaze drifting over to the two unconscious males. Her voice was small but clear as she asked, "Shouldn't…shouldn't we call an ambulance?" Ichigo stared at her before glancing over at the near-by blond and muttering, "I'd rather let them stay here." He sighed and pulled out his cell phone, bringing up Renji's number on the screen before pressing the dial button._

_Renji picked up immediately and asked breathlessly, "Did you find her? Is she okay?" Ichigo's grip tightened on Orihime's hand as he replied, "Yeah, she's with me." He had to smile slightly at Renji's loud exclamation of relief and Rukia's loud yelling demanding to know what had happened to the guy who had been with Orihime. "Renji…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Better call an ambulance. And tell them to get here quick."_

_There was a silence at the other end of the phone before Renji replied, "Gotcha."_

_Ichigo closed his phone, ignoring Rukia's yelling of wanting to talk with Orihime. He looked down at his girlfriend as she watched him. He gave her (what he hoped was) a reassuring smile, "Let's go."_

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

'_Oh crap…'_ was all Ichigo could manage to think the minute his gaze landed on Sora's livid expression. Even Orihime seemed shocked speechless as she stood motionless beside him, tightly gripping onto his shirt as she tried to hide behind him. They both stood rooted in place as Sora walked up to them.

Sora stared first at Ichigo and then at Orihime who was stuck to his side, her gaze darting around the pavement clearly not wanting to meet his eye. Orihime hoped that her brother did not catch sight of her trembling hands as she tightened her grip on Ichigo's shirt. More than that, she hoped that he would not ask her to look at him. She just couldn't hold back the shame and humiliation that was flowing through her as she stood before her brother. So she kept her lips pursed and her eyes lowered as she leaned on Ichigo.

Ichigo wondered if maybe he was feeling dizzy because of the blood loss or because of his nervousness. He could feel the heat from Orihime's hands as she tightened her grip on his shirt as his own hands tightened into fists. Sora looked back at Ichigo and Ichigo had to force himself not to swallow nervously at the dark look the older man directed at him. He really didn't know what to say…What could he possibly say at this moment?

He had promised to protect this man's younger sister and had failed miserably. He deserved worse than the few stitches he had received on his head. He deserved this man's full ire and then some. Ichigo clenched his fists tighter before raising his gaze to meet Sora's livid gaze. Sora's eyes narrowed slightly as Ichigo's eyes met his. They were filled with a miserable look that that clearly stated that he was ready for whatever punishment that was about to be handed out.

Sora sucked in a breath, trying to fight down his anger and concern as he spoke, "Orihime." He noted her very visible flinch as her eyes remained locked on the gray pavement. "Go inside." That made her gaze snap up to meet his. Sora took in the cooling patch on her left cheek, bandage on her forehead and the split lip as she looked at him and began to speak in a slightly hoarse voice, "Bu-but I..."

She stopped when Ichigo took hold of her hands in his. Her gaze immediately turned up to look at Ichigo in askance. Ichigo gently squeezed her fingers, "Go on. Don't worry about me."She gave her brother another worried, disbelieving look before looking at Ichigo. She had rarely seen her brother in such a rage and she was very much worried that he might say something that would hit Ichigo's sense of responsibility and make him feel even guiltier.

She gave him a slow, reluctant nod before she pulled her hands out of his hot grip. However, she didn't move towards the apartment building as the two men were expecting. She turned towards her older brother, "Onii-chan." She waited for him to meet her gaze but the moment his dark eyes met hers, all words seem to flee her mind and she floundered at what to say. "I know that…you're worried about me. But this wasn't Kurosaki-kun's fault. Please don't blame him for my mistakes. He was the one who saved me. If he hadn't come when he had…"

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, not wanting to even think how bad it could have gotten. She directed a grateful look towards the man before murmuring, "No matter what he says, he is not to blame for this." Sora eyed her before turning his gaze towards Ichigo. He was looking at her with a slightly stricken expression that shifted to one of gentle gratitude. Sora sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll keep that mind. Now go clean up."

Orihime nodded and made her way slowly towards her home. As she clambered up the stairs, trying to ignore the ache in her muscles, she directed her gaze down at the entrance where her brother and boyfriend were talking.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_Orihime!" Rukia couldn't hold back in relief as the wounded couple emerged from the darkness. She ran forward, concern and worry dripping from every word as she asked, "What the hell happened to you too? Did you get that badly hurt that you need an ambulance? Where's the damn first aid tent? We should get you there first! Can you walk alright?" _

_Ichigo held up a weary hand to stop Rukia's concerned rant. "I'll tell you in a bit. The ambulance is for the other two guys and can you help her? I think she sprained her ankle or something." Rukia nodded and quickly moved to stand beside her taller friend, wrapping a hand around her waist and gently urging her to lean against her. Ichigo raised a hand to his forehead, swaying slightly as he felt decidedly light headed. _

"_Whoa! Easy there." Renji quickly steadied him and held on as Ichigo regained his bearings. "You look like you had the shit beaten out of you." And then in a quieter tone, "I'd hate to see the guys you went up against." Ichigo attempted to give a wry grin but gave up half way with a groan as the throbbing in his head became a sharp lancing pain. "_Shit _you're bleeding! We need to get you to a doctor." _

_Ichigo shook his head from side to side, instantly regretting it as the nausea increased as he muttered, "Inoue needs him more than I do." Renji's voice sounded heavy and far away as he retorted, "She's not the one bleeding from a head injury! How'd that happen anyways?" Ichigo gratefully leaned against Renji's offered shoulder as he replied, "The guy hit me with something from the back."_

_Renji bit back a joke (as to how he had let another man get the drop on him). Instead he focused his attention on dragging his staggering friend to the nearest first aid center available within a three kilometer area. _'I hope the ambulance gets here in time to get those guys…Though I do kinda wanna see how badly Ichigo beat them up…'_ Renji couldn't help but think as he managed to make out the faint sound of an ambulance approaching. "Abarai-kun!" Renji looked up to see Keigo come to a panting halt in front of him, leaning on his bent knees as he strove to catch his breath. _

"_I…I came as...soon as you…called." Keigo straightened up, wiping away the sweat beading his forehead as he asked, "What's the emergency?" Renji nodded towards the trees and hastily explained, "When the ambulance comes, just tell em that two guys got into a fight and they need help." Keigo's eyes ticked at Ichigo, then at Orihime (upon which he sucked in a quick, startled breath) before he turned back to Renji. For a moment he seemed to struggle with himself (he clearly wanted to know what had really happened) before his shoulders sagged slightly as he replied, "Alright."_

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo noted that Sora's nostrils flared slightly as he watched Orihime slowly limp away. Ichigo turned his gaze towards the girl and he couldn't help the small _'Ah_' of understanding that went through his head. Most likely Sora had caught sight of the bandage wrapped around her ankle and her calf. The clouds above seemed to be in tune with Sora's emotions as they let out a low, angry rumble and flashed threateningly.

Ichigo waited for the figurative and literal storm to start as Sora's figure was highlighted by a particularly strong flash of lightening that raced across the sky. Sora in turn waited for his younger sister to be well out of ear's length before he turned with a grim face towards his kouhai. "Now….tell me what happened."

Ichigo hesitated, wondering where to start. "It's a bit...its slightly complicated Sora-s-"

"Well then uncomplicated it." Sora snapped at him as he crossed his arms, fighting back the urge to grab the other man by the collar and cuff him on the head (bandage or not). "I want to know what the hell happened that my sister looks like she got used as a punching bag by some thug!" Ichigo flinched slightly at the harsh tone and lowered his gaze, hiding his eyes from his senpai as he muttered, "I'm sorry."

Before Sora could stop himself, his arm shot out to grab the man by the collar and shake him as he yelled, "I don't CARE if you're sorry! Where the _hell_ were you? Why didn't you stop this from happening?" The utter lack of response from the other man just spurned Sora's anger higher as his shouts grew louder with every word, "I let you go out with her because I _trusted_ you! Trusted you that this wouldn't happen! You had _sworn_ that what happened before wouldn't happen again! You _promised _that you'd look out for her but instead I come home to see _this_? "

A loud roar of thunder reverberated in the space between them, the last precursor to the storm that was ready to be unleashed on the city. Sora's upper lip curled in disgust and dissatisfaction as Ichigo kept his head bowed and his lips tightly pressed together. They stood like that – with Sora maintaining his tight grip on Ichigo's collar – as the first raindrops fell. As more and more water drops fell on him, Sora found his anger slowly ebbing away, only to be replaced by a heavy feeling of frustration and inquisitiveness. Frustration at his inability to draw even the slightest reaction from Ichigo and inquisitiveness at what had happened that made the man shut down so.

Sora let go of Ichigo's rumpled shirt collar, not wholly repentant that he put in more force in the action than was strictly necessary. Ichigo stumbled back a step, almost stepping into the puddle that had formed behind him. In a calmer voice, Sora asked, "What happened Ichigo. I don't care how long it takes or how complicated it is. If it involves Orihime then I want to know everything."

"You aren't gonna like it…" Ichigo murmured before he turned his head up to gaze at Sora. Sora's gut twisted at the emotions that were running wily-nily in his eyes – sorrow, guilt, frustration, repentance to name a few- before a distinct pleading look came into them. Sora swallowed, forcing himself to speak in a hard tone as he replied, "No more excuses Kurosaki. Just tell me."

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

_Orihime let out a small whimper of pain as the age doctor gently stuck the cold patch onto her swollen cheek. "Well that's the last of it. I would recommend putting some ice on that when you get home though, this cold patch is just temporary. Now then…" He swiveled in his chair, turning his face towards Ichigo. "Let's have a look at that head of yours."_

_Ichigo moved his hand down, taking with it the bloodied cloth that he had been holding up, and let the doctor examine the wound. The old man let out a slow "hmmm" as he adjusted his glasses and leaned forward. "Mind telling me how you got this son?" Ichigo figured that telling the truth would be alright as he muttered, "Got hit in the head with a branch or something." The doctor let out another "hmmm" before he began to disinfect the wound._

_Orihime felt the faint stirrings of guilt twist and turn in her belly like a nest of snakes as Ichigo flinched in pain. She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, her eyes brimming full of tears that she kept wishing would go away. If only she hadn't been so utterly stupid to follow that man…due to her naivety, Ichigo had gotten severely hurt. There were no excuses that she could make to make herself feel better._

_The doctor spoke in a kindly but brusque tone as he wrapped the white bandage around Ichigo's head. "Make sure that you get this checked by a proper doctor. And you be grateful that you don't need more than three stitches! I've known people who had to get up to ten stitches when they get whacked at the head. There." He moved away to admire his handiwork before giving some instructions. "That does it. Are there any other wounds that need to be taken care of?" _

_Ichigo shook his head before holding up his well bandaged hand, "The nurse wrapped this up already." The older man grasped Ichigo's hand between his and examined the wrapping. He gave a curt nod before he got up. "Then I'd say you're ready to go." He picked up the tray littered with bloodied cotton balls as he spoke, "And next time, don't get into a fight on a festival alright? Now shoo, I've got more people to see. You'd be surprised how many people get injured at events like these."_

_Ichigo slid down from the small gurney and onto his feet. He gingerly flexed his hand, testing his range of motion before wincing at the throb of pain that went through his hand. He let his hand fall slack at his side as he moved to stand before Orihime. She kept her head bowed, her long hair covering most of her face. _

_As he opened his mouth to speak, he hesitated and wondered what to say. Should he ask her if she was alright? A voice in his head snorted in response, of course she wasn't alright. Maybe he could ask if she needed any help getting up? But wouldn't that come across a bit too over protective and pushy? As Ichigo racked through the different options, a sudden movement from her lap caught his attention. _

_For a moment he stared, wondered what had caught his eye when another teardrop dripped down the point of her nose and splashed onto the back of her hand. Quickly he ducked down, hoping against hope that she wasn't crying. He felt utterly lost as he saw her tears slowly trickle down her face, "Inoue…" She bit her quivering lower lip before she let out a loud sniffle. That seemed to snap her out of her immobility as she quickly raised her arms to cover her face with a shaky, "I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun. I'm so sorry."_

_Ichigo stared in panic and confusion at the apologizing girl before him. He took hold of her hands that were hiding her face from him as he got ready to ask just _why_ she was apologizing to him over and over again. At that moment, Rukia poked her head into the small tent announcing that Renji had managed to get a cab at the gate. Violet eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously at Ichigo, who gave Rukia a helpless look as Orihime quickly wiped her face clean with the corner of her yukata sleeves. Without a word she stood up, swaying slightly as her bandaged foot failed to support her weight fully. _

_Ichigo quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her against him as they made their slow way out._

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"…fter that we got in the cab and came here." Ichigo finished as he looked at Sora's pale face. The older man's face had taken on a pale, gray hue as Ichigo had described the scene he had burst into. He sucked in a shaky breathy before stepping back to lean against the entrance post. He raised a shaking hand up to cover his mouth as he fought against the images that came to mind unbidden. His little sister…his _only_ sister…she almost got raped…and all because of some man who saw her as trophy and a girl who couldn't control her jealousy.

The whole thing made his stomach coil and twist in disgust and fear. _'What the hell is wrong with this world?'_ Sora couldn't help but wonder. _'How can people do that to people they don't even know?'_ And that thought suddenly brought forward images of Orihime being forced down by faceless, grinning men in the middle of nowhere as she screamed for help. Sora pushed himself away from his support, moving two steps inside the boundary of the complex as he turned his face up towards the crying heavens.

'_Are they crying for her?'_ Sora wondered idly before he shook the fanciful notion away and wondered what to say to the man waiting behind him. Sora turned on his heel to face Ichigo. The younger man looked positively wretched as he pressed the heel of his palm into his eyes, his lips tightening into a grimace before he muttered something that Sora could not make out over the rain. Clearly the man was repenting his inability to protect Orihime. _'But I can't allow this to happen again.'_

Sora took a step forward. _'Once is one time too many.'_ Ichigo's hands dropped away from his face. _'I can't let Orihime get hurt like this again.'_ Sora's eyes hardened as they met Ichigo's. _'I have to look out for her.'_ Ichigo straightened up. Sora was suddenly reminded of a Western saying that his father once told him. 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'. Sora couldn't help but snort at himself. _'How right that man was.' _Sora took another step forward.

Sora waited for a moment before he spoke, "Don't come near Orihime again."

Ichigo's eyes jerked up to meet his, surprise written all over his expression. He honestly hadn't expected that line from his senpai. His head was reeling at the implications of what Sora had just stated. "You…want me to…" Sora was watching him with detached interest as Ichigo raised his hands up, palm upward in a gesture of pleading. "But…Sora-san…"

Sora shook his head, "No buts about it Kurosaki. This is the end."

As an older brother himself, Ichigo could understand where Sora was coming from. No older brother would want his little sister to go through such an experience. _'But to ask me to let go of her…_' Ichigo couldn't bear the thought of it. Partly it would feel like he was running away from her when all he wanted was to help her through this…tribulation. He didn't want to…he _couldn't_ leave her alone at a time like this.

He moved forward, grabbing Sora by the arm and pulling him back, "Sora –san! I know that you're angry with me about what happened! But you can't ask me to-!" Ichigo stumbled back into a puddle as Sora angrily shook off his hand and turned back towards him. "I can and I will Kurosaki! You couldn't protect my little sister…_my only sister_? How do you expect me to trust you with her?" Sora snapped back. Ichigo stumbled back slightly at the harsh words.

Sora didn't seem to notice Ichigo's stricken expression. And if he did, he didn't seem to care as he continued, "I _know_ what happened with Chisa when you were in high school." Now the orange head's face went as white as a sheet. "Even then I let you go out with Orihime." Sora let out a bitter laugh. "Against my better judgment I let you go out with her. It never should have happened." With those words, Sora left his kouhai standing in the rain – reminiscing of memories that he long thought he had gotten over.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime frantically paced in the living-dining area of their apartment. Every few minutes she would think that maybe she had heard the familiar sound of her brother's step and would rush forward towards the door only to realize that she was mistaken. Then she would resume her pacing in the room. Once she had come in, she had gone to window hoping that she would be able to oversee their conversation from there. But just as she had pulled back the curtains, she remembered that their windows faced the wrong side. With a small groan, her hand pulled the curtains back to their place before she began pacing the room.

A loud click shook her out of her worried haze and she quickly stumbled forward, "Onii-chan!" She was very surprised to see her brother completely soaked through. _'It's raining? How odd…I didn't even notice.'_ As soon as she realized that, it was as though someone had thrown a switch in her head and she could make out the soft *shaaa* of the rain. Sora was bent over, pulling his loafers off as he asked, "Can you get me a towel Orihime? And a change of clothes?"

She quickly scurried away to fetch the terrycloth as Sora pulled his tie off his neck with a grunt. Not exactly the nice-end-to-a-hard-work-day he had envisioned on his way back. He quickly moved into the bathroom, trying his best not to leave too much of a mess on his way. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it over the bathtub. He was ready to pull his wife beater off when Orihime gently knocked at the door, "Onii-chan, I've got the towel and your clothes."

Sora opened the bathroom door and snagged the fluffy white towel out of her hands as well as his clothes. "Thank you." Sora started to close the door when he pulled it back open and said, "We need to talk. I'll be right out." Orihime nodded briefly before she found herself facing the white face of the bathroom door. She turned away and headed towards the low circular table on the far side of the room. After settling down, she nervously began to tap her fingers against the table top.

Suddenly, the words of the kindly old doctor came back to her. She slowly stood up, _'I wonder if we have any ice…and I'll need a towel too._' She tottered over to the fridge, pulling open the freezer compartment and peering in. _'Ice…ice…ah!'_ She carefully pulled the tray out, hoping that it had more ice cubs in it than empty sections. She set the tray down on the counter and pulled open a drawer, searching for a large spoon to whack the ice cubs out when Sora stepped out of the bathroom. Orihime looked from her search just as Sora finished rubbing his wet hair with the towel. Sora's eyes went from her to the ice tray and then the spoon before he quietly padded up beside her. "Go sit down" he gently instructed her with a soft pat on her head.

Obediently she moved back to the table and watched her older brother remove and place a handful of ice cubes into one corner of the towel before twisting it together so that it resembled a small bag. Sora sat down beside Orihime and held the bag up to the swollen side of her face. "This may hurt a little bit." She drew back as he pressed the towel against her cheek, a small throb of pain going through her. She raised her own hand up to cover her brother's, wordlessly telling him how much pressure to apply.

Sora let her cradle the ice filled cloth in her hand and he leaned in to examine her split lip. "Onii-chan…" Sora's eyes turned up to meet her concerned gray eyes as she hesitantly asked, "You…wanted to talk..?" Sora nodded, holding her chin in place with his fingers so that he could check how deep the cut on her lip was. "Yeah. It's about Kurosaki. Don't bite your lip like that!" Sora chided her as she took her lower lip between her teeth as soon as he spoke Ichigo's name.

Orihime felt her throat go dry at his simple words. A small voice slyly spoke in her ear, telling her that the worst was yet to come. From the dark corners of her heart, the low voice dully informed her that she should prepare herself for what she had not even dared to consider. She trembled slightly in her place, her free hand twisting the soft material of the yukata in an effort to quell her shaking. She was unable to stop the tremor in her voice as she asked, "Wh-what a-about him?"

Sora's eyes suddenly turned sharper as he told her in a firm voice, "You won't be seeing him again."

He couldn't have knocked the breath out of her lungs more effectively even if he tried. Even a punch to the gut would have had lesser results than those words. Her lips parted open in surprise as she asked in a choked voice, "W-what?" _'It's a lie. It has to be a lie. I must have misheard him. Yes. Yes! That's right! I must have misheard onii-chan! It can't be that that Kurosaki-kun wants to br…' _Sora felt his heart ache as he leaned in to catch his little sisters shaking whisper. He shook his head at Orihime and her hopefully hopeful expression. "It's not a lie."

Her eyes darted up, not realizing that she had voiced her thoughts out loud. "You can't go out with him." After a moment's pause, Sora added in as an afterthought, "I won't let you." He stared in growing confusion at the expression on Orihime's face. She looked at him in horror and disbelief. She hadn't made an expression like that even when he had to tell her that their parents had passed on. She was shaking her head slightly as though she wanted to shake the very words out of her head.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, choked and airy as she pushed out past numb lips, "Why?"

A frown began to form on Sora's face as he spoke, "What do you mean 'why'? It should be obvious why I don't want you two to be going out! I would think that you'd want the same thing!" Now she looked positively aghast. "Why…would I…I would never…" She stood up with a sudden jerk, the home-made ice pack falling from her hands. A few ice cubs managed to slip out and they bounced across the tatami mats as Orihime stood to her full height, her hands trembling by her side as she felt an alien heat fill her chest. In trembling voice she completed her previous sentence.

"Why would I want that? I don't want that at all onii-chan."

Sora had stood up as well and stared at her in confusion. "But…you got hurt because of him." He pointed at the bandage taped to her forehead. "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be like this in the first place." She could feel the strange heat spread across her ribs as she replied back in as calm a tone as she could manage. "Were it not for Kurosaki-kun, I would have been assaulted by Toki-san long ago."

Orihime could feel a warm flush spread over her cheeks and hoped that her brother wouldn't get angry over that fact or ask too many details about that. Instead she continued, "Both times, Kurosaki-kun was the one who saved me. He isn't the one to be blamed." She stumbled backwards as Sora slammed his open palm against the wall and yelled, "Of _course_ he is Orihime! He couldn't protect you _both_ times!"

Orihime felt like wailing in frustration and grief as she replied back in a tone a pitch higher than normal, "He _saved_ me! He _did_ protect me! I called out for him and he _came to save me!_ Why can't you see that?" Sora ran a frustrated hand through his drying hair, "And why can't YOU see that he broke his word! He said that he'd look after you and make sure that you would be alright!"

Sora pointed at her swollen cheek and asked, his voice holding a tinge of sarcasm, "Would you call that being alright?" Orihime felt her face flush a darker color. She felt entirely too hot as she cried out, "But this wasn't his fault! You can't blame him for being deceived! I deserve to be blamed more for blindly trusting a stranger just because he used Kurosaki-kun's name!"

Sora let out a small growl before turning away from Orihime, "And what was the reason behind _that_ in the first place? If Ichigo hadn't beaten up that guy in the first place then this wouldn't have happened to you! Why can't you see that?" Orihime held out her hands before her brother, "And why can't you see that when he beat up Toki-san, he was protecting me and my honor!"

"Enough!" Sora knelt down to pick up the melting ice cubes and toss them back into the terry cloth. Frankly, this round about discussion was giving him a headache and he didn't want any of their neighbors to come pounding at the door asking them to keep their voices down. "I don't want to hear anything more on this. Starting from this moment onward, you are _not_ going out with Kurosaki Ichigo." Sora eyed the small wet patch nearby and as he wondered where the cleaning cloth was stashed away, when a small "No" broke his train of thought.

He looked up at Orihime. Her cheeks and nose were flushed with anger as she slowly shook her head from side to side before taking a step away from him. "Orihime?" She took another step backward as he slowly straightened up. "No. I refuse to do that." Sora's eyes widened and he reached out to grab her hand, "Orihime…" She shook her head more violently, "Why don't you even try to understand?" Sora touched her arm gently, "I just want to see you happy Orihime."

At this, she shook off his hand as though someone had pressed a heated iron brand against her skin. Her voice rose in a high pitch as she exclaimed, "HE makes me happy! Just _being with him_ makes me happy!" Sora started at her tone and pitch. She had _never ever_ spoke in so loud a tone to him…or anyone for that matter. And though she sounded out of breath, she kept on speaking, "Do you honestly believe that I would simply follow your word on this? I am not a child anymore onii-chan! I can make my own decisions and live with their consequences! I don't need you to look out for me like this! I just…I can't…" She raised a hand up to her chest, her breath coming out in small pants before she mumbled, "I can't breathe…I feel like I can't breathe in here…"

Without another word, Orihime turned and ran to the doorway leaving a stunned Sora standing in the middle of the living room area with one hand out stretched. The sound of the door slamming shut shook him out of his shock.

He hastily stumbled over to the shoe rack placed in the front entrance. Her _geta_ were still there but her loafers were gone. His heart thumping against his ribcage, Sora quickly stepped into his well worn sneakers before dashing out the apartment with a worried "Orihime!"

* * *

**"Those who forget their past are condemned to repeat it" is a saying by George Santaya. And this chapter's title is from Samuel T. Coleridge's poem "Kabla Khan" or "Xanadu".**

**Ask me no questions and I tell you no lies peeps. Hopefully all your questions will be answered. Some sooner than later and some later than sooner. But I still love me a review with some good questions in it :D Makes me grin in delight that there are some people out there who're going beyond whats being told! **

**300 reviews or….no chapter? **

**I jest :D But lets charge forward to the next review milestone! **


	16. Libera Me From Hell

***repeated bowing* I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I got lazy, I got distracted by a million things (icons [made over 10,000 of em if you can believe that XD], the Fall 2010 line up [Damn good shows we got!] Togainu no Chi [ MAN that show stunk more than a skunk on a bad day! Atleast the music was good] and…some other stuff I can't remember anymore) and I was just de-motivated to write. I'd open the file up and go "….gads I don't feel like writing anything today. Lets read some yaoi/watch a movie." **

**But seeing the other gals going "I'ma gunna write this shit out and write it good! HERE I GO!" made me go "Me thinks I need to take a page from their books!" So I got myself to write – a little every day but hey, it worked. So here you go, chapter 16 of Senpai to Kouhai. **

**I'd honestly like to thank all of you who so very patiently waited for this and sent nice reviews. I feel pretty damn bad for being so slow bout this. So again, thank you and sorry. And know this, I will NOT give up on this fic! I. WILL. Finish it. This is my determined face.**

**Shout-out of win to nagi who very kindly beta-ed this chapter. **

_**As always, I would plead some degree of leniency if some of actions of the characters seem OOC here. Please strive to remember the situation at hand and then judge if the characters seem…not in character.**_

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, don't own the characters. **

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**~ C h a p t e r 1 6 ~**

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Her leg ached as she hurriedly boarded the crowded bus. She shuffled and squeezed her way to the middle of the bus, finding herself between a heavily pregnant woman and a group of giggling high school girls. Her gaze shifted quickly to the large windows, staring out at the sidewalk. Somber faced men and women strode by the waiting bus underneath their umbrellas without so much as a glance around them, a few unlucky souls ran by the vehicle using their bags for scant protection and then she caught sight of her older brother. She slipped behind the chattering girl beside her, peeking from the side at her older brother as he searched for her.

As his gaze turned towards the bus, she quickly ducked her head and squeezed her eyes shut, _'Please don't let him come onto the bus. Please don't let him come onto the bus.'_ She opened her eyes when she felt the bus jerk slightly underneath her feet and slowly roll through the wet roads. Orihime quickly sneaked another peek back at the sidewalk, only to see her older brother disappear in the large bustling crowd.

She tried to push away the feeling of guilt that swelled up in her as she wondered what she should do now. Nervousness and slight panic flitted through her as she considered her next course of action. She didn't want to return to home, at least not for a little while. _'Tatsuki-chan is out of town…Rukia-chan said that she'd be going over to visit her older brother at the main house tonight. I don't even know where Rangiku-san lives…' _She swallowed hard as she came to the last name on her list, which had also been her first choice.

It would be highly inappropriate, she knew that. But at the present moment, she knew that there was no other place in the world where she would be able to find peace. She shuffled forward towards the front of the bus, ready to disembark at the next stop.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_They'll make it through."_

Ichigo couldn't help the small sigh of relief that slipped out of his lips at that statement. Admittedly, he wanted those two bastards to get the beating of a life time but that didn't mean that he wanted to have their blood on his hands. On the other end of the line, Keigo seemed to have not heard the small sound as he continued, "It'll take a couple of months but they'll be fine. That and some intensive therapy for…something else, I can't remember what though. The doctor's said that there were no complications or anything so there won't be any problems during the healing process either."

While part of him felt relieved, another part of him dearly wished that the two thugs would face some complication or the other as retribution for the act that they had committed. It was a moral dilemma that he could have done without at the present. "Sorry bout this Keigo." He wearily scrubbed his hand over his face, taking care not to dislocate the fresh bandage around his head. _"It's alright. Renji already told me what happened."_ There was a moment of silence before Keigo admitted in a low angry tone, _"I'd have done the same."_

Ichigo stared out the taxi window as he spoke in a low voice, "Did you get their names and addresses?"

"_Yeah. I managed to get their ID cards and got all their information. What you need it for anyways?"_

Ichigo rested his head against the cool glass as he admitted, "In case Inoue wants to press charges."

Another moment of silence before Keigo's unusually somber voice came over the line, _"I got it. I'll give you their names and stuff tomorrow then? I'll come by around after lunch."_

"Thanks. I'll see you then." Ichigo closed his phone before pressing it against his lips, his fingers tightening around the rectangular object. He was still too rattled by what Sora had said to him and found himself unable to focus on anything other than the older man's words. _'Don't come near Orihime again…this is the end…'_ A tad peevishly, he shoved the phone into his jacket, wished he could just as easily push away Sora's voice in his head.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, he hadn't expected the onslaught of emotions that coursed through him at those words. _'When did that happen anyways? When did she become so important to me? I never realized that…"_ He rested his elbows on his thighs as he scowled at his hands. At the logical and rational level, he knew that Sora was right. As an older brother _of course_ he understood here Sora was coming from and a good part of him wanted to take responsibility for what had happened but….

Ichigo tiredly rubbed the heel of his palm against his forehead as he recalled the sinking feeling that settled in as Sora had mentioned Chisa. _'What a low blow Sora-san…to bring up Chisa' _Ichigo let out a small snort of amusement. _'I _know_ what happened with Chisa when you were in high school…even then I let you go out with Orihime. Again my better judgment, I let you go out with her…It _never_ should have happened.'_

Ichigo raised his hand, letting it run through his hair - his brightly color hair that more often than not brought about more grief in his life that he cared to acknowledge. He turned his tired gaze towards the window, eyeing stray rain drops as they rolled down the clear cold glass as he heard Sora's words echo in his head like a bad song. Dejectedly he muttered to the rain drops, "It never should have happened huh…if only wishes were horses…"

His fingers twitched slightly before a wave of tiredness settled in on him. _'Will you ever stop haunting me Chisa?'_ Feeling emotionally exhausted and older than his age, he let his head hang against his chest with a heavy sigh. _'Never again…I swore that…yet…'_ He tightly clenched his teeth together, pushing back the angry, desperate yell that was slowly bubbling up to the surface.

"We've arrived sir." The cool voice of the taxi driver cut into his increasingly melancholic thoughts and he noticed that indeed, he had arrived outside his apartment building. Ichigo shook his head, pushing away his gloomy thoughts temporarily as he reached for his wallet. Within minutes, he had paid the man and was making a quick dash up the slippery wet stairs in a bid to avoid getting more wet than he had to. He let out a small sigh of relief as he pushed the glass doors open, thankful to be out of the cold rain. _'God damn this rain. When the hell will it let up?'_

Partly because he didn't want to be blamed for leaving wet puddles on the floor and partly because he wanted to remove his wet clothing, Ichigo hastily made his way to his apartment. He shivered as he felt a cool breeze blow past him, making a tremble go through his fingers as they pushed the key through the lock. Ichigo pushed his soaked sneakers off in the _genkan,_ not bothering to adjust them or push them to the side and quickly pulling his soaked shirts off as he walked down the small hallway and into the dark living room.

Ichigo turned the lights on, his eyes going over the room in a cursory manner. _'No Renji…well he did say he was gonna have dinner with Rukia's brother tonight. Guess he'll be back later then.' _ The thought that his roommate was sitting half way across town, having a comfortable (non confrontational) meal with his girlfriend's older brother made his heart clench tightly. Scowling Ichigo pushed the thought away, his hands coming up pinch the bridge of his nose as he shook his head, _'God damn it! It's not fair of Sora-san to ask me to just leave Inoue like that!'_ He hands tightened into fists, his fingernails digging painfully into the flesh of his hand before they slowly relaxed and his shoulders slumped forward.

Who was he kidding? This was the bare minimum that he deserved for not taking better care of Inoue._ 'Let's face it…I screwed up. Rukia had warned me that someone might try something but I didn't pay too much attention to it. I should have kept a closer eye on her. I shouldn't have left her alone like that. Or at least we should have stayed with the others.'_ Ichigo's head felt heavy and leaden as he stumbled forward towards the bathroom, his hands sluggishly twisting the taps and ensuring that the tub was warming up. He remained kneeling beside the tub, watching the hot water collect in the heated porcelain. _'If it were Yuzu or Karin, I'd be the same way. I wouldn't want a guy like me or my history to be around them…'_

As the water level slowly rose, he sluggishly began to strip. _'But I've never met a girl like Inoue before…I've never felt this way about a girl before. I don't want to…I _can't _ leave her….'_ He pulled off his wet jeans and underwear, negligently tossing them into the hamper before he closed the taps and slowly lowered his cold body into the warm water. He placed both his hands on the sides of the tube as he sat down and forced his muscles to relax with a loud sigh. _'What the hell do I do now?'_

His head completely understood Sora's perspective and wanted to honor it but his heart was completely unwilling to let go of Inoue. Being stubborn in terms of relationships was something that he knew about himself but he had never thought himself to be a man who would be so in terms of a romantic relationship. Ichigo turned his face upward, letting his head gently hit the back wall as he wondered, _'Is this what a ping pong ball fells like? Being smashed from one side to the other?' _He just didn't know what to do… The same uncomfortable thoughts kept going through his head in a damned circle.

'_What the hell do I do? What's the right thing to do in this case? Do I listen to Sora-san and just get out of Inoue's life? Do I ignore him and stay with her?' _The same questions running around in his head like a God damned rat stuck in a maze. Except this maze didn't seem to have any end – just paradox's which made him run round and round like a fucking idiot. Grumbling in frustration, he quickly stood up, grabbing the towel off the rack before wrapping it around his waist. _'God damn it all…just…DAMN IT.'_ He stomped into his bedroom, peeved at his inability to make a decision and the situation he found himself in.

He tossed the towel over his study chair before he opened the door to his closet and began to dress. He had one leg into a pair of drawstring sweatpants when he heard the door bell ring. _'Who the hell…?'_ Fighting back the urge to cuss at the impeccable timing of his visitor, Ichigo quickly pushed his second leg into the pants, pulling it over his covered hips before grabbing the first t-shirt within his sights. He pulled the door open, yelling as he pulled the shirt over his head, "Just a minute!"

He pulled the red t-shirt down and running a hand through his damp hair as he made his way over to the door. He kicked his wet sneakers over the side as he grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Yeah?" To say that he was surprised would have been a gross understatement.

He found himself looking down at a familiar auburn haired girl as she gave him a nervous smile. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as he stared at her in stupefied silence. Before he could ask what she was doing at his door step, her smile slipped off her lips. She hung her head as she miserably declared in a small voice, "I didn't know where else to go…"

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Orihime stood shivering in the _genkan_, feeling very much like a drowned rat as she watched and waited for Ichigo to hurriedly bring her a towel. "Here, take your shoes off. And dry yourself off. The bath's ready so you should go soak for a little while, make sure you don't catch a cold or anything." Orihime quietly accepted the towel that he was holding out to her and let herself be gently led into the small bathroom.

"Ah you'll need something to change into. I'll bring something in a minute." A sudden sense of irrational panic swelled up in her, making her lips move faster than she could control. "Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo stopped mid-way closing the door, his brown eyes catching hers questioningly. Unexplained fear flooded her being and made her legs quiver underneath the wet cotton as she twisted the towel in her hands. "Ano…sono…eto…" Her grip tightened on the cloth as she fought back her childish words. _'Please stay with me. Please don't leave me alone.'_

She dropped her gaze to the floor, inexplicably feeling ashamed at her actions and mumbled, "I'm sorry. It's nothing." She waited for him to close the door. However, it wasn't the soft sound of the door closing that had her looking up. The soft sound of footsteps padding up to her made her slowly look up into her boyfriend's tender gaze. Her wide eyed gaze dropped to half mast as he gently cradled her chin with one finger before leaning down to press a soft kiss against her swollen cheek. Sudden tears filled her eyes at the loving gesture and she closed her eyes, letting them fall in two clear streams. Ichigo's fingers quickly, gently wiped them away before he whispered, "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

She opened her eyes and gave him a grateful smile and a nod. Ichigo's lips turned up slightly at the edges before he turned around and left the small room. Orihime let out a small sigh as she loosened her death grip on the terrycloth in her hands. She tiredly sat down at the edge of the toilet, forcing her head down to rest against her knees as she tried to rein her emotions in. She felt as emotionally stable as a floating raft in the middle of a stormy ocean.

"Breathe, just breathe", she softly reminded herself before she slowly inhaled. _'Inhale... exhale… inhale…exhale….'_ she mentally instructed herself before slowly straightening up. She took in one last deep breath before she opened her eyes and pushed herself up. She winced as she took a step forward, the pain in her right foot forcing her to stumble forward. Her hand hurriedly grabbed the sink for support as she bit her lower lip to suppress the yelp of pain knocking against her lips. Slowly she straightened up, making sure to lean her left side against the sink as she pulled the lower folds of her yukata back. She eyed the wet and dirtied bandages, _'I guess I should take them off before I get into the water…' _she thought hesitantly.

She sat back down on the commode, her trembling fingers slowly unraveling the soggy bandages. _'It's so cold…I feel so cold…I hope I don't catch a cold.' _As though her thoughts conjured it up, her nose tickled before she let out a small sneeze. Sniffing, Orihime slowly stood up – her hands tugged at the bright colored obi wrapped around her waist. After a few minutes of struggling, she managed to get the _obi_, _datejime_ and the _obijime_ off. The wet cloth stuck to her skin even as she removed the last cord holding the cloth in place. However, the straight, elegant lines quickly faded away into untidy folds as the brightly colored cord was fell to the floor.

A sudden knock at the door had Orihime jumping and tightly grabbing hold of the lapels of her open yukata. "Inoue, I've got a change of clothes with me." She fought back the silly urge to laugh at her nervousness and shuffled forward towards the door. After making sure that her yukata was covering her properly, she carefully pushed the door open. She glanced up at Ichigo before her gaze dropped to the small pile in his hands. "They'll be a little big but at least they'll be dry and warm. Just toss your clothes in the hamper in the corner."

For a moment she stared at his out stretched hands before she reached forward with her free hand to accept the garments. "Thank you." Ichigo simply nodded at her thanks before helping her close the door. For a moment, she stood there facing the door before she limped towards the empty basket on the side of the small tiled room. She placed the dry clothes within the square weave basket before she pulled the wet yukata off her body, shivering as she did so. She gathered the garment up, placing it in an untidy pile atop a nearby covered basket. It was joined by her under garments before she gingerly slid into the hot water.

For a moment she sat stiffly inside the tub before she slowly let her body unwind and relax. With her head resting against the wall, back against the warm tub, arms resting on the side and her eyes closed – she let out a sigh. She raised one arm to cover her eyes, _'What am I gonna do now…I ran away from onii-chan…'_ She clenched her fingers together before opening them and bringing them up to cover her eyes. _'I wonder if he's still looking for me…He must be…He must be trying to call my cell phone too. Oh, its battery finished didn't it.'_ The thought immediately brought back the memory of her walking through the dark forest with – she opened her eyes, eyelashes uncomfortably sticking against her palm as light filtered through her fingers.

'_Don't think about it. Just don't think about it.'_ She repeated the mantra in her head as she sat up, her hand moving off her face and dipping into the water with its twin. She was ready to splash the water in her face when her eye was caught by the dark spots on her wrist. Curiously she ran her fingertips over the darkened skin, _'What…how did this…?'_

_"Sho get over here, hold her down."_

It was as though someone had slid an ice cube down her back. She could hear the words rattle in her head as she recall the feeling of warm fingers holding her arms behind her back in a painful grip. _"Shhh. Can't have you making too much noise now can we?"_ And the stifling feeling of his palm against her mouth. A sudden feeling of nausea rose in her, making her quickly cover her mouth as she forced herself to take deep breaths. _'Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Think about something else. Listen to the water. Listen to the water and how it sounds when it hits the sides of the tub. The sound of water dripping.' _

She swallowed hard and pulled her hands away from her face as the nausea began to recede. But the uneasy feeling remained. Twisting painfully as a thought suddenly came to her mind. Were there other marks left on her body?

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Ichigo closed his cell phone with a soft clack and eyed it for a moment critically. _'Did I do the right thing?'_ He stared at the phone for another heartbeat before sighing and placing it in its charger. He leaned back on his hands, head tilting back to stare up at the ceiling. _'Too late to wonder about that now.'_ He pushed himself forward, sitting up straight and looking out his open bedroom door and into the living room area. From his position, he could make out the open dining area and further, the closed W.C door.

'_I wonder if she's alright, she's been in there for a while now.'_ The sight of her standing in front of his door, drenched down to the bone came to his mind. More particularly, the frantic, desperate look in her eyes as she had simply said that she didn't know where else to go. He snorted softly – as though he could ever resist a line like that….especially when it was coming from her. He ran a hand over his face, feeling so very old and tired as he remembered how jittery she was. He didn't really want to admit it but it irked him. The startled tug of the hand when he had taken her hand to pull her inside the apartment, the panicked look in her eyes when he had lead her to the bathroom, the hesitation in her hands when he had handed over the dry clothes…every action was akin to being slugged in the face with a brass covered knuckle.

The worst part was that he wasn't sure how he could help her. Should he stay close to her or give her the space that she needed? Ichigo let out a frustrated sigh before standing up and walking out of his room. _'Maybe I should call…_' He shook the thought away _'No no no. He'll just give me all kinds of hell for asking.'_ Ichigo glanced up at the closed door again and his resolve weakened as he thought of the wounded girl behind the door. Ichigo ruffled his hair in agitation, _'Argh! I guess I'll call-?'_

A loud splashing sound caught Ichigo's attention immediately. Not that it was that unusual a sound to hear coming from a bathroom but…He quickly walked towards the door and leaned in, straining to hear any other sounds. Nothing. Complete and utter silence. Ichigo knocked on the door curtly, "You okay in there Inoue?"

Silence again.

Worry began to creep into him in thin, piercing tendrils. Curling and twining around his chest in a tight grip as he knocked again and spoke again in a louder tone, "Inoue? You okay? Oye Inoue!" He was ready to pound the door down when he heard the sound of the lock turning. Anxiously he waited for the door to open, "Inoue, are you alright? I heard a splash and I- OH CRAP I'm sorry!" He could feel his face turning red as he quickly glanced up and to the left to stare at a random part of the ceiling.

'_Why did she open the door when she was _naked_? What the hell was she thinking? And she wasn't even standing behind the door! She was standing right in front so I could see everything! Her breasts and even the marks on…marks?'_ Alarmed his eyes immediately darted back down at the naked girl yet he could pay no attention to her naked state. His eyes darted from one red mark to the other, a heavy sick feeling swirling in his stomach as he followed the marks down from her collar bone down to her breasts that she was covering with her arms. As he suddenly processed where he was staring, his eyes darted up to her face – half in disbelief that he had been two seconds away from flat out ogling the girl. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with water trails before they dripped down her chin and softly fell on the ground beside her feet.

Her lips parted, attempted to shape her words but her voice failed her. She tried again, her voice coming out as a harsh croak as she broken stated, "They…won't come off…I washed and I washed…they won't…" She suddenly pressed her lips together tightly as she screwed her face up, trying not to let an anguished cry out. Her fingernails dug into the skin of her back as she fought back the urge to just scream her throat raw – why her? What had she done to deserve this? Why was she being punished like this?

A sudden warmth engulfed her body, a hot hand coming to rest at the back of her neck and a familiar voice hoarsely telling her, "Just let it out Inoue." She shook her head against his chest and he tightened his grip on her body and whispered her name, "Inoue…" Her lower lip trembled violently before a hard sob shook her body and she _wailed_ into his chest. She cried like a child who had been violently torn apart from its mother knowing that he would never see her again. Her hands dug into his shirt, rapidly dampening thanks to her tears, she wept at her loss.

Ichigo tightened his grip around her, pulling her in tighter as though he wanted to take her body into himself. That way he could keep her safe – that way he could protect her. Every shake of her frail shoulders under his grip made his own urge to cry rise. Every sob that she let out made him grind his teeth as he fought back the urge to mimic her. He pressed his lips against her hair and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He never noticed that his own tears were streaming down his cheeks and falling into her damp hair as he repeatedly apologized to her.

**.*.*.*.*.*.**

Sora ignored the varied looks he was getting as he waited for the bus to reach its stop. He could hear a pair of old ladies tutting at his appearance under their breath, another group of students behind him joking in a not to subtle manner at his appearance. Personally, he couldn't have cared less at what the world thought of him right now. The only thing that mattered to him was getting Orihime back safely.

His hand squeezed his cell phone as he willed the bus to go faster.

* * *

**genkan - traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat**

**obi - A wide sash fastened in the back with a large flat bow, worn by women in Japan as a part of the traditional dress.**

**datejime - A thin, but stiff sash worn under the obi to keep its shape.**

**obijime - A thin rope attached to an obi. Its tied on top of the obi**

**A review reply**

**: I can't anything bout the first question but HELL YES we'll see Isshin and the girls soon! :D And Toki is officially in the 'out' pile of the problems. No more Toki – good bye you sorry loser *kicks his ass out on the curb* **

**Again I am SO sorry for making y' all wait so long for this one *repeated bowing* For the next chapter, I swear I'm gonna ask Nagi to keep an eye on me and make sure I keep working on it! **


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